Reviewed by USGSIndonesia66y ago
M6.5 earthquake 43 km N of Ende, Indonesia
Thursday, March 16, 1961, 13:45:36 UTC · 8.453°S, 121.710°E
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 43 km N of Ende, Indonesia on Thursday, March 16, 1961, 13:45:36 UTC, at a depth of 45.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on June 26, 1953.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 45 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
82 kilotons of TNT
That is about 5 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 172 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
45 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Banda Sea and Timor plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
45 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on March 16, 1961. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 27 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 127 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 201 km N of this epicenter
- 6.889 km NW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteJune 25, 1953 · 241 km E of this epicenter
- 6.892 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteJune 26, 1953 · 251 km E of this epicenter
- 6.724 km ESE of Ruteng, IndonesiaNovember 28, 1928 · 118 km W of this epicenter
- 6.749 km NW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 9, 1951 · 260 km E of this epicenter
- 6.699 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 28, 1923 · 254 km E of this epicenter
- 6.5201 km SSE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 18, 1912 · 241 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1961M6.5
Flores: Endeh
16 Mar 1961 · 43 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1814
Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island
1814 · 288 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1944M7.5
Flores
22 Mar 1944 · 197 km away
- 1891M7.0
Timor Sea
5 Oct 1891 · 259 km away
tsunami
- 1897M5.5
Kajuadi Island
15 Mar 1897 · 209 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.