Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste97y ago
M5.9 earthquake 118 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste
Wednesday, March 26, 1930, 11:32:09 UTC · 7.414°S, 126.296°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 118 km N of Baukau, Timor Leste on Wednesday, March 26, 1930, 11:32:09 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on March 26, 1930.
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
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 23 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
12 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 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 · 147 km E of this epicenter
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 161 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 273 km W of this epicenter
- 6.984 km N of Metinaro, Timor LesteMarch 26, 1930 · 68 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.811 km WSW of Ainaro, Timor LesteMarch 23, 1908 · 205 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.699 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteMarch 28, 1923 · 273 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3Banda SeaMay 19, 1920 · 169 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.8116 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteFebruary 13, 1928 · 287 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 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 · 194 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1917M7.8
Banda Sea
30 Aug 1917 · 188 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.