Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste71y ago
M6.8 earthquake 180 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste
Tuesday, July 17, 1956, 07:34:11 UTC · 6.856°S, 126.245°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 180 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste on Tuesday, July 17, 1956, 07:34:11 UTC, at a depth of 450.8 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on February 14, 1952.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 451 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- III
- Weak (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
239 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
49 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: deep
451 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 21 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 162 km E of this epicenter
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 207 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 106 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 252 km W of this epicenter
- 6.984 km N of Metinaro, Timor LesteMarch 26, 1930 · 113 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.811 km WSW of Ainaro, Timor LesteMarch 23, 1908 · 259 km S of this epicenter
- 6.699 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 28, 1923 · 298 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5173 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteJuly 23, 1955 · 209 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 250 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 226 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1917M7.8
Banda Sea
30 Aug 1917 · 206 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.