Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste3y ago
M4.5 earthquake 117 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor Leste
Monday, August 14, 2023, 12:30:41 UTC · 7.586°S, 127.494°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 117 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor Leste on Monday, August 14, 2023, 12:30:41 UTC, at a depth of 163.8 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.5 on August 12, 2023.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 164 km
- Intermediate
- 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
46 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: intermediate
164 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 50 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on August 29, 2023. 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 1,096 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11963 Banda Sea EarthquakeNovember 4, 1963 · 243 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 205 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, IndonesiaJanuary 9, 2023 · 284 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6196 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaJanuary 27, 2006 · 245 km N of this epicenter
- 7.563 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteNovember 11, 2004 · 296 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 29 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3125 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteDecember 29, 2021 · 10 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3172 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteNovember 24, 1983 · 75 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 46 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2004M7.5
Kepulauan Alor
11 Nov 2004 · 296 km away
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1995M6.9
Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara
14 May 1995 · 286 km away · intensity VII
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2023M7.6
Banda Sea
9 Jan 2023 · 287 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2015M6.5
East Nusa Tenggara: Alor
4 Nov 2015 · 300 km away · intensity V
$9 million damage
- 1989M6.2
Timor: Alor
14 Jul 1989 · 266 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1963M8.3
Banda Sea
4 Nov 1963 · 244 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.