QuakeScout
Magnitude6.9

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia63y ago

M6.9 earthquake 265 km SSE of Amahai, Indonesia

Wednesday, July 8, 1964, 11:55:42 UTC · 5.581°S, 129.768°E

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 265 km SSE of Amahai, Indonesia on Wednesday, July 8, 1964, 11:55:42 UTC, at a depth of 190.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on November 4, 1963.

Magnitude
6.9
Strong · mw
Depth
190 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

338 kilotons of TNT

That is about 22 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 708 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

97 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: intermediate

190 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 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 50 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.51938 Banda Sea EarthquakeFebruary 1, 1938 · 213 km E of this epicenter
  2. 8.11963 Banda Sea EarthquakeNovember 4, 1963 · 154 km S of this epicenter
  3. 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 152 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 158 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 7.355 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaOctober 8, 1950 · 229 km NW of this epicenter
  6. 7.1196 km SSE of Ambon, IndonesiaJuly 4, 1914 · 83 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.1186 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteMay 15, 1962 · 261 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 7.0188 km SSE of Amahai, IndonesiaJune 9, 1920 · 79 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 74 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1852M8.3

    Maluku: Bandanaira

    25 Nov 1852 · 37 km away · intensity IX

    60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1763

    Bandaneira

    12 Sep 1763 · 53 km away · intensity X

    7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1754M6.5

    Ambon Island

    18 Aug 1754 · 271 km away

    4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1711M7.0

    Banda Sea

    5 Sep 1711 · 195 km away

    2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  5. 1950M7.6

    Seram

    8 Oct 1950 · 256 km away

    1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1710

    Bandaneira

    6 Mar 1710 · 118 km away · intensity IX

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

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

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