Reviewed by USGSIndonesia67y ago
M6.6 earthquake 145 km SE of Tobelo, Indonesia
Saturday, March 5, 1960, 13:49:24 UTC · 0.769°N, 128.909°E
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 145 km SE of Tobelo, Indonesia on Saturday, March 5, 1960, 13:49:24 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on March 27, 1949.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · 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: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
124 kilotons of TNT
That is about 8 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 260 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
46 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.1 on March 6, 1960. 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 38 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 · 203 km W of this epicenter
- 7.4193 km W of Sorong, IndonesiaOctober 7, 1923 · 232 km S of this epicenter
- 7.360 km WNW of Sorong, IndonesiaNovember 10, 1925 · 259 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1129 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaMay 3, 1925 · 294 km W of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaMarch 27, 1949 · 231 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0121 km ESE of Labuha, IndonesiaMay 1, 1904 · 212 km S of this epicenter
- 6.654 km NNE of Ternate, IndonesiaSeptember 25, 1947 · 163 km W of this epicenter
- 6.6135 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaMarch 13, 1948 · 286 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 34 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 179 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1889M8.0
N. Moluccas Islands
6 Sep 1889 · 297 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1840
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Feb 1840 · 176 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1907M7.9
Djailolo Gilolo
25 Jun 1907 · 214 km away
- 1923M7.5
Djailolo Gilolo
7 Oct 1923 · 281 km away
- 1859M7.0
N. Moluccas Islands
28 Jun 1859 · 269 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.