Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste75y ago
M7.0 earthquake 77 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste
Thursday, February 14, 1952, 03:38:17 UTC · 7.780°S, 126.493°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 77 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste on Thursday, February 14, 1952, 03:38:17 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on August 30, 1917.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (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
511 kilotons of TNT
That is about 34 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,072 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
57 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: 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 20 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 · 133 km E of this epicenter
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 120 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.984 km N of Metinaro, Timor LesteMarch 26, 1930 · 77 km W of this epicenter
- 6.811 km WSW of Ainaro, Timor LesteMarch 23, 1908 · 183 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.749 km NW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 9, 1951 · 300 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.699 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 28, 1923 · 280 km W of this epicenter
- 6.4109 km N of Lospalos, Timor LesteFebruary 27, 1936 · 72 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3Banda SeaMay 19, 1920 · 213 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 3 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 · 199 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1918M8.1
Banda Sea
18 Nov 1918 · 290 km away
- 1917M7.8
Banda Sea
30 Aug 1917 · 169 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.