Reviewed by USGSIndonesia64y ago
M7.1 earthquake 197 km SSE of Sofifi, Indonesia
Tuesday, April 16, 1963, 01:29:23 UTC · 0.975°S, 128.070°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 197 km SSE of Sofifi, Indonesia on Tuesday, April 16, 1963, 01:29:23 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on March 1, 1948.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
747 kilotons of TNT
That is about 50 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,567 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
95 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 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 200 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.1 on April 16, 1963. 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 48 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 286 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 276 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4193 km W of Sorong, IndonesiaOctober 7, 1923 · 167 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1124 km WNW of Ambon, IndonesiaMarch 1, 1948 · 266 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1170 km WNW of Ambon, IndonesiaJune 9, 1938 · 282 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.0121 km ESE of Labuha, IndonesiaMay 1, 1904 · 46 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0114 km NW of Ambon, IndonesiaAugust 29, 1919 · 240 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7236 km WNW of Ambon, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1926 · 275 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,505 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1899M7.8
Banda Sea
29 Sep 1899 · 230 km away
2,460 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 215 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.7
Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano
14 May 1932 · 286 km away · intensity VII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1754M6.5
Ambon Island
18 Aug 1754 · 285 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1889M8.0
N. Moluccas Islands
6 Sep 1889 · 299 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1840
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Feb 1840 · 214 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.