QuakeScout
Magnitude5.9

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia78y ago

M5.9 earthquake 128 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia

Friday, September 16, 1949, 19:11:15 UTC · 1.076°N, 126.263°E

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 128 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia on Friday, September 16, 1949, 19:11:15 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on September 14, 1949.

Magnitude
5.9
Moderate · mw
Depth
35 km
Shallow
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
—
No ShakeMap
PAGER alert
None
Not issued
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

12 kilotons of TNT

That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 25 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

9 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

35 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 65 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 88 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 106 km E of this epicenter
  3. 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 279 km N of this epicenter
  4. 7.3108 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 5, 1908 · 107 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 7.2182 km WNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1938 · 150 km N of this epicenter
  6. 7.1129 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaMay 3, 1925 · 17 km N of this epicenter
  7. 7.1128 km ESE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), IndonesiaJune 12, 1947 · 22 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 7.086 km NNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaMarch 27, 1949 · 216 km NE of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 159 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1845M7.0

    N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon

    8 Feb 1845 · 163 km away · intensity IX

    118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  2. 1855

    Maluku: Ternate Island

    14 Jul 1855 · 119 km away · intensity IX

    34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  3. 1932M7.7

    Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano

    14 May 1932 · 88 km away · intensity VII

    7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  4. 1858M7.3

    N. Moluccas Islands

    13 Dec 1858 · 30 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1889M8.0

    N. Moluccas Islands

    6 Sep 1889 · 9 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  6. 1859M7.3

    Sulawesi

    29 Jul 1859 · 146 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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