Reviewed by USGSIndonesia94y ago
M5.9 earthquake 39 km NNE of Maumere, Indonesia
Monday, January 1, 1934, 06:16:35 UTC · 8.278°S, 122.318°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 39 km NNE of Maumere, Indonesia on Monday, January 1, 1934, 06:16:35 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on November 28, 1928.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 24 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
36 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
15 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 8 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 182 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 265 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.724 km ESE of Ruteng, IndonesiaNovember 28, 1928 · 188 km W of this epicenter
- 6.699 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 28, 1923 · 187 km E of this epicenter
- 6.5201 km SSE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 18, 1912 · 179 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.571 km NW of Naisano Dua, IndonesiaOctober 16, 1918 · 147 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.877 km NE of Ruteng, IndonesiaSeptember 28, 1926 · 153 km W of this epicenter
- 5.8116 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteFebruary 13, 1928 · 168 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 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 · 268 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1814
Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island
1814 · 259 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1891M7.0
Timor Sea
5 Oct 1891 · 202 km away
tsunami
- 1897M5.5
Kajuadi Island
15 Mar 1897 · 235 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.