Reviewed by USGSIndonesia64y ago
M5.7 earthquake 37 km N of Amlapura city, Indonesia
Saturday, May 18, 1963, 12:20:32 UTC · 8.112°S, 115.582°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 37 km N of Amlapura city, Indonesia on Saturday, May 18, 1963, 12:20:32 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 17, 1953.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 25 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
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
341 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
25 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 M5.9 on May 22, 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 8 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.1205 km NNE of Gili Air, IndonesiaAugust 11, 1937 · 201 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0133 km NNE of Pototano, IndonesiaJuly 5, 1911 · 274 km E of this epicenter
- 6.57 km WNW of Ubud, IndonesiaJanuary 20, 1917 · 60 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5141 km NNE of Singaraja, IndonesiaApril 10, 1934 · 131 km N of this epicenter
- 6.0128 km N of Singaraja, IndonesiaAugust 17, 1953 · 135 km N of this epicenter
- 5.9157 km SSW of Gambiran Satu, IndonesiaMarch 27, 1928 · 274 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.857 km NNE of Labuan Lombok, IndonesiaMay 8, 1930 · 139 km E of this epicenter
- 5.739 km E of Pototano, IndonesiaApril 16, 1931 · 249 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 12,989 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1815M7.3
Bali
22 Nov 1815 · 75 km away · intensity IX
11,453 deathstsunami
- 1917M6.6
Bali
20 Jan 1917 · 132 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1857M7.0
Timor Island:: Dilhi, Gera
13 May 1857 · 15 km away
36 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1818M8.5
Sumbawa Island: Bima
8 Nov 1818 · 199 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1930M6.5
S. Java Sea
19 Jul 1930 · 193 km away
tsunami
- 1843M6.0
Java: Genteng Island
7 Feb 1843 · 202 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.