M6.3 earthquake - Chagos Archipelago region

What happened

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Chagos Archipelago region on 3 Dec 1983, 17:43 UTC at a depth of 10 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.