Two shallow M6.2 earthquakes hit Papua, Indonesia
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A series of strong earthquakes hit Papua, Indonesia on September 9 and 10, 2022. The first quake, registered by the USGS as M6.2, hit at 23:31 UTC on September 9 at a depth of 18 km (11.2 miles). It was followed by M5.9 at 23:44 UTC at a depth of 19.1 km (11.9 miles) and another M6.2 at 00:05 UTC on September 10.
The epicenters were located 261 km (162 miles) ESE of Biak (population 4 537), 275 km (171 miles) W of Abepura (population 62 248), and 283 km (176 miles) W of Jayapura (population 134 895), Papua.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick with concrete floor and precast concrete frame with wall construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides and fires that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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