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Location:
122 km NE of Tual, Indonesia
Period:
29 Sep 2010 17:10:51 - 30 Sep 2010 02:11:03 (9 hours)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
None
Earthquakes:
7
M 7.0+:
M 7.0; Near the south coast of Papua, Indonesia; (29 Sep 2010) (9km from the swarm center)
No swarms nearby.
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm PS20100929.1: Analysis of Events near Tual, Indonesia

Seismic swarms represent clusters of earthquakes occurring in a localized area over a short period without a single dominant mainshock. The swarm designated PS20100929.1 began at 17:10 on 29 September 2010 and concluded at 02:11 on 30 September 2010. It was centered 122 km northeast of Tual, Indonesia, and produced seven earthquakes within nine hours.

The sequence included the following events: a magnitude 6.2 quake at 17:10:51 (depth 10 km), followed immediately by a magnitude 7.0 event at 17:11:25 (depth 26 km). Subsequent activity comprised a magnitude 5.0 at 18:00:53 (depth 30 km), magnitude 5.2 at 21:03:25 (depth 8 km), magnitude 4.1 at 21:59:56 (depth 10 km), magnitude 5.1 at 01:07:39 on 30 September (depth 10 km), and magnitude 5.5 at 02:11:03 (depth 16 km). Depths ranged from 8 km to 30 km, indicating activity within the shallow to intermediate crust.

This swarm coincided with a magnitude 7.0 earthquake recorded 9 km from the swarm center on the same date, listed among strong events in the region since 2000. The close spatial and temporal alignment suggests the magnitude 7.0 event formed the core of the swarm, with aftershocks and foreshocks contributing to the overall cluster.

The Tual region lies within the tectonically complex Banda Arc of eastern Indonesia. This area experiences ongoing convergence between the Australian and Eurasian plates, producing frequent seismic activity through subduction and associated faulting. Historical records document repeated moderate to large earthquakes driven by these plate interactions, consistent with the 2010 swarm's characteristics.

The short duration and moderate number of events align with typical swarm behavior in subduction-influenced zones, where fluid migration or stress transfer along faults can trigger clustered seismicity without prolonged aftershock sequences.

References:
SeismoSight internal classification data for swarm PS20100929.1.
USGS earthquake catalog entries for regional events since 2000.