Reviewed by USGSIndonesia91y ago
M6.4 earthquake in Flores region, Indonesia
Tuesday, May 19, 1936, 20:50:09 UTC · 8.945°S, 123.814°E
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck in Flores region, Indonesia on Tuesday, May 19, 1936, 20:50:09 UTC, at a depth of 70.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on March 26, 1930.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 70 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
62 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 130 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
129 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Banda Sea and Timor plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
70 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 9 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 266 km N of this epicenter
- 6.984 km N of Metinaro, Timor LesteMarch 26, 1930 · 254 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.811 km WSW of Ainaro, Timor LesteMarch 23, 1908 · 177 km E of this epicenter
- 6.699 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 28, 1923 · 67 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5201 km SSE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 18, 1912 · 211 km N of this epicenter
- 6.571 km NW of Naisano Dua, IndonesiaOctober 16, 1918 · 50 km W of this epicenter
- 5.939 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaJanuary 1, 1934 · 180 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.8116 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteFebruary 13, 1928 · 72 km N 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 · 129 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1814
Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island
1814 · 143 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1891M7.0
Timor Sea
5 Oct 1891 · 21 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.