Reviewed by USGSIndonesia64y ago
M6.0 earthquake 196 km SSE of Sofifi, Indonesia
Saturday, April 27, 1963, 08:43:01 UTC · 0.854°S, 128.344°E
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 196 km SSE of Sofifi, Indonesia on Saturday, April 27, 1963, 08:43:01 UTC, at a depth of 28.8 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on April 16, 1963.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 29 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: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
13 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 28 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
125 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
29 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on April 30, 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 47 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 276 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4193 km W of Sorong, IndonesiaOctober 7, 1923 · 140 km E of this epicenter
- 7.360 km WNW of Sorong, IndonesiaNovember 10, 1925 · 275 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1124 km WNW of Ambon, IndonesiaMarch 1, 1948 · 291 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1197 km SSE of Sofifi, IndonesiaApril 16, 1963 · 33 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1204 km SSE of Sofifi, IndonesiaApril 16, 1963 · 40 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.0121 km ESE of Labuha, IndonesiaMay 1, 1904 · 30 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0114 km NW of Ambon, IndonesiaAugust 29, 1919 · 264 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,498 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1899M7.8
Banda Sea
29 Sep 1899 · 239 km away
2,460 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 217 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1754M6.5
Ambon Island
18 Aug 1754 · 295 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1840
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Feb 1840 · 216 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1885M7.3
Buru I, Ambon I, Haruku I
30 Apr 1885 · 206 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1876M6.8
Buru Island, Ceram Sea
28 May 1876 · 268 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.