Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste61y ago
M7.0 earthquake 166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor Leste
Wednesday, June 22, 1966, 20:29:07 UTC · 7.240°S, 124.583°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor Leste on Wednesday, June 22, 1966, 20:29:07 UTC, at a depth of 531.8 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on February 14, 1952.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 532 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- III
- Weak (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
445 kilotons of TNT
That is about 30 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 933 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
532 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 37 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 · 283 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 219 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 291 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 101 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 83 km W of this epicenter
- 6.984 km N of Metinaro, Timor LesteMarch 26, 1930 · 146 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.889 km NW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteJune 25, 1953 · 164 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.892 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteJune 26, 1953 · 151 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:
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 114 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1944M7.5
Flores
22 Mar 1944 · 184 km away
- 1891M7.0
Timor Sea
5 Oct 1891 · 206 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.