QuakeScout
Magnitude7.2

Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste58y ago

M7.2 earthquake 187 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste

Tuesday, February 11, 1969, 22:16:13 UTC · 6.784°S, 126.581°E

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 187 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste on Tuesday, February 11, 1969, 22:16:13 UTC, at a depth of 430.5 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on November 2, 1950.

Magnitude
7.2
Major · mw
Depth
431 km
Deep
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
IV
Light (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

1.0 megatons of TNT

That is about 68 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,138 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

48 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: deep

431 km

Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.

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 200 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 42 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 287 km E of this epicenter
  2. 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 132 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 193 km SE of this epicenter
  4. 7.1186 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteMay 15, 1962 · 191 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 111 km S of this epicenter
  6. 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 288 km W of this epicenter
  7. 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 226 km W of this epicenter
  8. 6.984 km N of Metinaro, Timor LesteMarch 26, 1930 · 139 km SW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 3 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 250 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1896

    Timor: Alor Island

    18 Apr 1896 · 259 km away · intensity VIII

    250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  2. 1918M8.1

    Banda Sea

    18 Nov 1918 · 268 km away

  3. 1917M7.8

    Banda Sea

    30 Aug 1917 · 176 km away

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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