Reviewed by USGSIndonesia56y ago
M6.0 earthquake 43 km SSE of Praya, Indonesia
Monday, December 21, 1970, 14:40:43 UTC · 9.073°S, 116.412°E
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 43 km SSE of Praya, Indonesia on Monday, December 21, 1970, 14:40:43 UTC, at a depth of 70.2 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on March 26, 1968.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 70 km
- Intermediate
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
14 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 30 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
245 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: intermediate
70 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on December 24, 1970. 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 23 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 · 282 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0133 km NNE of Pototano, IndonesiaJuly 5, 1911 · 259 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.084 km SSE of Dompu, IndonesiaMay 9, 1922 · 250 km E of this epicenter
- 6.57 km WNW of Ubud, IndonesiaJanuary 20, 1917 · 148 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5141 km NNE of Singaraja, IndonesiaApril 10, 1934 · 254 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3139 km SSE of Dompu, IndonesiaDecember 21, 1938 · 271 km E of this epicenter
- 6.1191 km N of Gili Air, IndonesiaMarch 26, 1968 · 273 km N of this epicenter
- 6.1149 km SSE of Dompu, IndonesiaFebruary 24, 1931 · 279 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 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 · 198 km away · intensity IX
11,453 deathstsunami
- 1917M6.6
Bali
20 Jan 1917 · 235 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1857M7.0
Timor Island:: Dilhi, Gera
13 May 1857 · 156 km away
36 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1818M8.5
Sumbawa Island: Bima
8 Nov 1818 · 239 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1836M7.5
Flores Sea
28 Nov 1836 · 266 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1837
Sumbawa Island: Bima
28 Nov 1837 · 238 km away · intensity IX
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.