Reviewed by USGSIndonesia86y ago
M7.4 earthquake 33 km NW of Gorontalo, Indonesia
Saturday, November 8, 1941, 23:37:28 UTC · 0.731°N, 122.835°E
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 33 km NW of Gorontalo, Indonesia on Saturday, November 8, 1941, 23:37:28 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on December 21, 1939.
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
2.1 megatons of TNT
That is about 140 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4,416 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
98 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 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 37 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11939 Sulawesi EarthquakeDecember 21, 1939 · 83 km S of this epicenter
- 7.8160 km W of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 22, 1905 · 136 km W of this epicenter
- 7.7120 km NE of Palu, IndonesiaMay 19, 1938 · 270 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3108 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 5, 1908 · 296 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1156 km NW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 11, 1913 · 124 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0293 km SSE of Manuk Mangkaw, PhilippinesDecember 4, 1932 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8109 km WSW of Luwuk, IndonesiaMarch 17, 1909 · 243 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 185 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 239 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1927M6.2
Sulawesi: Donggala
1 Dec 1927 · 293 km away · intensity VII
50 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1938M7.7
Sulawesi Island
19 May 1938 · 270 km away · intensity IX
17 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1939M8.0
Centrtal Sulawesi: Kalo,Luwuk,Sula I
21 Dec 1939 · 83 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1857
Sulawesi Island: Kema
17 Nov 1857 · 272 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1905M8.4
Minahassa Peninsula
22 Jan 1905 · 35 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.