Reviewed by USGSIndonesia113y ago
M7.5 earthquake 273 km N of Tobelo, Indonesia
Friday, October 23, 1914, 06:18:45 UTC · 4.206°N, 128.022°E
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 273 km N of Tobelo, Indonesia on Friday, October 23, 1914, 06:18:45 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.9 on March 14, 1913.
- Magnitude
- 7.5
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
2.5 megatons of TNT
That is about 166 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 5,248 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
42 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
35 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 8 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 279 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 228 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 238 km W of this epicenter
- 6.837 km E of Lamitan, PhilippinesMarch 6, 1911 · 299 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5182 km NNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaApril 25, 1909 · 157 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.562 km S of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 18, 1910 · 284 km W of this epicenter
- 6.2145 km W of Tobelo, IndonesiaMarch 26, 1913 · 292 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,944 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 286 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 246 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1894
Se Mindanao: Davao Gulf
9 Feb 1894 · 300 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1910M6.7
Sulawesi-N. Moluccas Islands
18 Dec 1910 · 116 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1910M7.5
Talaud Islands
16 Dec 1910 · 227 km away
- 1846M7.3
N. Moluccas Islands
25 Jan 1846 · 298 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.