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Strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - W. Caroline Islands, Micronesia, Palau, on Wednesday, 23 December 2020 at 18:11 (GMT) - information

Very strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - Philippine Sea, 161 km southwest of Koror Town, Palau, on Thursday, Dec 24, 2020 at 3:11 am (GMT +9)

Very strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - Philippine Sea, 161 km southwest of Koror Town, Palau, on Thursday, Dec 24, 2020 at 3:11 am (GMT +9) Very strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - Philippine Sea, 161 km southwest of Koror Town, Palau, on Thursday, Dec 24, 2020 at 3:11 am (GMT +9)

Very strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake at 10 km depth

23 Dec 18:18 UTC: First to report: GFZ after 7 minutes.
23 Dec 18:20: Epicenter location corrected by 2.2 km (1.4 mi) towards S.
23 Dec 19:37: Magnitude recalculated from 6.1 to 6.0.
Update Wed, 23 Dec 2020, 18:24

Significant earthquake of magnitude 6.1 just reported 99 km southwest of Angaur, Palau

6.1 quake 24 Dec 3:11 am (GMT +9)
6.1 quake 24 Dec 3:11 am (GMT +9)
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 occurred early morning on Thursday 24 December 2020 at 3:11 am local time near Angaur, State of Angaur, Palau, as reported by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), which listed it as a magnitude 6.2 earthquake. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 5.8.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Angaur (pop. 320) located 99 km from the epicenter, Angaur State (pop. 190) 99 km away, and Kloulklubed (pop. 700) 120 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

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Earthquake details

Date & timeDec 23, 2020 18:11:49 UTC
Local time at epicenterThursday, Dec 24, 2020 at 3:11 am (GMT +9)
StatusConfirmed
Magnitude6
Depth10.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude6.17°N / 133.62°E (Philippine Sea, Palau)
Antipode6.17°S / 46.38°W
Shaking intensityModerate shaking
Felt75 reports
Primary data sourceGFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)
Nearby towns and cities99 km (62 mi) SW of Saipan (pop: 320) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
120 km (74 mi) SW of Kloulklubed (Klouklubed) (pop: 702) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
161 km (100 mi) SW of Koror Town (Koror) (pop: 12,700) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
171 km (106 mi) SSW of Ngchemiangel (Bkurrengel) (pop: 270) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
181 km (113 mi) ENE of Sonsorol Village (pop: 30) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
181 km (113 mi) SW of Ngchesar Hamlet (pop: 300) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
182 km (113 mi) SSW of Imeong Hamlet (pop: 132) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
197 km (123 mi) SW of Ulimang (pop: 581) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
245 km (152 mi) SSW of Kayangel (pop: 188) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
448 km (278 mi) NE of Tobi Village (Hatobohei) (pop: 44) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
98 km (61 mi) SW of Angaur Island (pop: 320) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
187 km (116 mi) SW of Badelzuap Island (pop: 5,880) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
Weather at epicenter at time of quakeLight Rain 27.3°C (81 F), humidity: 82%, wind: 7 m/s (13 kts) from ENE
Estimated seismic energy released6.3 x 1013 joules (17.5 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 15080 tons of TNT or 0.9 atomic bombs!) | about seismic energy
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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
Mag.DepthLocationSource
6.010 kmW. Caroline Islands, Micronesia, PalauGFZ
5.930 kmPALAU REGIONEMSC
6.034 kmW. Caroline Islands, Micronesia, PalauBMKG
6.220 kmPalau [Sea]INGV
6.111 km89 Km SW of Angaur State, PalauUSGS
6.041 kmW. Caroline Islands, Micronesia, PalauGeoAu
6.010 km加罗林群岛西部, PalauCEIC

Seismograms

Seismic station: Tucson, Arizona (TUC/IU network) | Distance from quake: 11986 km / 7448 mi | Show on map | Station Info
Seismic station Tucson, Arizona: vertical movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)
Seismogram (vertical component) around time of quake. Thin dotted red line indicates time of quake. Seismic waves arrive some time later, depending on distance. Bandpass filter applied: 0.02-2.0 Hz. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool
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User reports for this quake (77)

User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
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Koror Town (162.3 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : I was using my laptop while sitting on a plastic stool outside of my house and felt swaying along with the ground. It felt as if I was dancing along with our home, the trees, and the whole neighborhood block. | 10 users found this interesting.  
Koror Town (160.6 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Don't know how long it lasted but it sure woke everyone in the house. | 6 users found this interesting.  
Koror / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Woke me up when I grabbed phone it was 3:12 am and my co-workers in Koror, Airai and Melekeok all reporting on FB messenger of same experience of shake and sound | 5 users found this interesting.  
Ngchemiangel, Aimeliik (173.3 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 15-20 s : Moderate enough to wake up and think about... judgement day... and frickin tsunami! | 5 users found this interesting.  
Koror / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : It woke me up . By far the scariest one I've experienced | 5 users found this interesting.  
Koror Town (169.5 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s : That was a strong shaking and vibration ever felt | 4 users found this interesting.  
Airai, Palau / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Rolling and shaking for almost a full minute | 4 users found this interesting.  
near Koror Town (170.5 km NNE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : Door rattle,floor wobble | 3 users found this interesting.  
Ngerachelong, palau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was lying on a futon on my cell n felt my futon shake. It felt like my cell vibrate in my pocket.the earth | 2 users found this interesting.  
Kesebelau, Airai / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : bed shaking for a couple of seconds, looked over to my dresser and saw my glass~bead earrings swaying where they were hanging. | 2 users found this interesting.  
Koror Town (160.6 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s : Because our rooms are on the second level, shaking was felt by everyone. Seriously not prepared for the next big one. | One user found this interesting.  
Koror Town (160.3 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Woke up after shaking | 2 users found this interesting.  
Malakal, koror, Palau / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s : Was sleeping and the shaking woke me up. It seems Iike it caused no damages around the house but it felt moderately strong. | One user found this interesting.  
Koror, Palau / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s : My wife and I were awakened by the quake, but my kids were still asleep. We jumped | One user found this interesting.  
Ngarchelong, Palau / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : I was sleeping and woke up to the constant shaking. It than continued to shake for a few more seconds then stopped. | One user found this interesting.  
Norwich / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : My hamster escaped and is now lost after his cage fell from the table and broke during the earthquake. | One user found this interesting.  
Koror / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I was asleep then I could feel myself shaking. I woke up and the first thing I saw was the ceiling shaking. I can feel the floor shaking too. | One user found this interesting.  
Meyuns, Koror, Palau (160.4 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : Woke up everyone in the house. Rocking motion was noticeable, but nothing fell from shelves or off walls.  
Koror / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Woke me up as the bed was shaking, some things were rattling | 2 users found this interesting.  
Koror / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s : Rumbling sounds, woke me up. | 2 users found this interesting.  
Koror Palau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Back and forth motion | 2 users found this interesting.  
Iyebukl, Koror (162.3 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s : Objects fell. | One user found this interesting.  
Idid Hamlet, Koror (162 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Longest earthquake I have experienced. Woke up from it. | One user found this interesting.  
Ikelau, Koror, Palau / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : It was enough to wake me up, but not enough to get me out of bed. After the horizontal swing it was vibrational until it dissipated.  
ngeremlengui state Palau / Light shaking (MMI IV) : it was scary to feel the earth shaking under my house | One user found this interesting.  
Koror, Republic of Palau / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I knew instantly it was earth quake, my house was shaking and woke me up. | One user found this interesting.  
Koror Palau / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Light shaking. It was very brief. I was wondering if there was tsunami. | One user found this interesting.  
Meyuns, Koror / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Friends on FB messenger sharing experience around same time | One user found this interesting.  
Koror / Light shaking (MMI IV) : It woke me up from my sleep. It felt as if someone was trying to shake me awake. | One user found this interesting.  
Koror / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : House was shaken in Koror. Woke people up. | One user found this interesting.  
Ngiwal (185.4 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / not felt
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Aftershocks

[More info]

Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)

So far, no aftershocks have been registered.

Earlier earthquakes in the same area

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