Reviewed by USGS2y ago
M4.5 earthquake in Banda Sea
Saturday, November 11, 2023, 18:10:53 UTC · 6.115°S, 130.032°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck in Banda Sea on Saturday, November 11, 2023, 18:10:53 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on November 11, 2023.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 10 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: 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
50 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 50 km
USGS lists 18 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on November 14, 2023. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.6Banda Sea2y ago · 41 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.4Banda Sea2y ago · 20 km S of this epicenter
- 4.3Banda Sea2y ago · 15 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.6Banda Sea2y ago · 27 km W of this epicenter
- 4.6Banda Sea2y ago · 50 km W of this epicenter
- 4.4Banda Sea2y ago · 39 km S of this epicenter
- 4.4Banda Sea2y ago · 26 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.7275 km W of Tual, Indonesia2y ago · 40 km NE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,568 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.51938 Banda Sea EarthquakeFebruary 1, 1938 · 212 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.11963 Banda Sea EarthquakeNovember 4, 1963 · 105 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 122 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, IndonesiaJanuary 9, 2023 · 105 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6196 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaJanuary 27, 2006 · 222 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 93 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 300 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.355 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaOctober 8, 1950 · 292 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 20 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 70 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1852M8.3
Maluku: Bandanaira
25 Nov 1852 · 101 km away · intensity IX
60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1763
Bandaneira
12 Sep 1763 · 13 km away · intensity X
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1711M7.0
Banda Sea
5 Sep 1711 · 262 km away
2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2023M7.6
Banda Sea
9 Jan 2023 · 104 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1710
Bandaneira
6 Mar 1710 · 177 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1938M8.6
New Guinea
1 Feb 1938 · 212 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.