Reviewed by USGSIndonesia78y ago
M7.0 earthquake 86 km NNW of Tobelo, Indonesia
Sunday, March 27, 1949, 06:34:09 UTC · 2.428°N, 127.657°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 86 km NNW of Tobelo, Indonesia on Sunday, March 27, 1949, 06:34:09 UTC, at a depth of 60.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on June 12, 1947.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 60 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
567 kilotons of TNT
That is about 38 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,189 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
13 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
60 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 72 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 249 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 132 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 226 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 202 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2182 km WNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1938 · 127 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1129 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaMay 3, 1925 · 201 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1128 km ESE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), IndonesiaJune 12, 1947 · 226 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,840 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 276 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 185 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1858M7.3
N. Moluccas Islands
13 Dec 1858 · 243 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1889M8.0
N. Moluccas Islands
6 Sep 1889 · 223 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.7
Talaud Islands
1 Apr 1936 · 264 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1840
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Feb 1840 · 185 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.