Reviewed by USGSIndonesia102y ago
M7.1 earthquake 129 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia
Sunday, May 3, 1925, 17:21:46 UTC · 1.223°N, 126.303°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 129 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia on Sunday, May 3, 1925, 17:21:46 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on August 17, 1912.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · 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: 200 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
747 kilotons of TNT
That is about 50 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,567 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
7 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Birds Head 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.7 on May 5, 1925. 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:
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 98 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 263 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3108 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 5, 1908 · 120 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5182 km NNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaApril 25, 1909 · 229 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.4233 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesFebruary 14, 1916 · 259 km N of this epicenter
- 6.394 km SE of Sofifi, IndonesiaOctober 29, 1906 · 241 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.2145 km W of Tobelo, IndonesiaMarch 26, 1913 · 91 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,958 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 286 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 164 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 120 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1858M7.3
N. Moluccas Islands
13 Dec 1858 · 42 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1889M8.0
N. Moluccas Islands
6 Sep 1889 · 25 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1859M7.3
Sulawesi
29 Jul 1859 · 162 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.