Reviewed by USGSIndonesia95y ago
M7.7 earthquake 148 km SE of Tondano, Indonesia
Saturday, May 14, 1932, 13:11:03 UTC · 0.386°N, 125.884°E
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 148 km SE of Tondano, Indonesia on Saturday, May 14, 1932, 13:11:03 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
5.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 355 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11,220 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
14 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
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 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 30 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 179 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3108 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 5, 1908 · 46 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1129 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaMay 3, 1925 · 104 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9108 km ESE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), IndonesiaJune 3, 1925 · 93 km N of this epicenter
- 6.7131 km ESE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), IndonesiaMay 5, 1925 · 84 km N of this epicenter
- 6.6148 km ESE of Tondano, IndonesiaJuly 10, 1926 · 28 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.4142 km ENE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), IndonesiaFebruary 27, 1931 · 187 km N of this epicenter
- 6.4125 km ENE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), IndonesiaSeptember 13, 1928 · 172 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 159 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 167 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 164 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.7
Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano
14 May 1932 · 0 km away · intensity VII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1858M7.3
N. Moluccas Islands
13 Dec 1858 · 69 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1889M8.0
N. Moluccas Islands
6 Sep 1889 · 79 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1859M7.3
Sulawesi
29 Jul 1859 · 60 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.