Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste97y ago
M6.9 earthquake 84 km N of Metinaro, Timor Leste
Wednesday, March 26, 1930, 07:12:07 UTC · 7.765°S, 125.793°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 84 km N of Metinaro, Timor Leste on Wednesday, March 26, 1930, 07:12:07 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on August 30, 1917.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 10 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
315 kilotons of TNT
That is about 21 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 661 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
37 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
10 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 100 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.2 on March 30, 1930. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 10 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 207 km E of this epicenter
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 193 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 241 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.811 km WSW of Ainaro, Timor LesteMarch 23, 1908 · 148 km S of this epicenter
- 6.699 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 28, 1923 · 207 km W of this epicenter
- 6.5201 km SSE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 18, 1912 · 273 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3Banda SeaMay 19, 1920 · 168 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.8116 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteFebruary 13, 1928 · 222 km W 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 · 127 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1917M7.8
Banda Sea
30 Aug 1917 · 245 km away
- 1891M7.0
Timor Sea
5 Oct 1891 · 240 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.