Reviewed by USGSIndonesia64y ago
M5.9 earthquake 30 km NNE of Amlapura, Indonesia
Wednesday, May 22, 1963, 21:53:04 UTC · 8.202°S, 115.730°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 30 km NNE of Amlapura, Indonesia on Wednesday, May 22, 1963, 21:53:04 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 17, 1953.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
333 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 9 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.1205 km NNE of Gili Air, IndonesiaAugust 11, 1937 · 203 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0133 km NNE of Pototano, IndonesiaJuly 5, 1911 · 263 km E of this epicenter
- 6.57 km WNW of Ubud, IndonesiaJanuary 20, 1917 · 67 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5141 km NNE of Singaraja, IndonesiaApril 10, 1934 · 141 km N of this epicenter
- 6.0128 km N of Singaraja, IndonesiaAugust 17, 1953 · 150 km N of this epicenter
- 5.9157 km SSW of Gambiran Satu, IndonesiaMarch 27, 1928 · 280 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.857 km NNE of Labuan Lombok, IndonesiaMay 8, 1930 · 125 km E of this epicenter
- 5.737 km N of Amlapura city, IndonesiaMay 18, 1963 · 19 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 12,989 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1815M7.3
Bali
22 Nov 1815 · 92 km away · intensity IX
11,453 deathstsunami
- 1917M6.6
Bali
20 Jan 1917 · 137 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1857M7.0
Timor Island:: Dilhi, Gera
13 May 1857 · 34 km away
36 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1818M8.5
Sumbawa Island: Bima
8 Nov 1818 · 194 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1930M6.5
S. Java Sea
19 Jul 1930 · 199 km away
tsunami
- 1843M6.0
Java: Genteng Island
7 Feb 1843 · 221 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.