Reviewed by USGSIndonesia2y ago
M4.5 earthquake 285 km W of Tual, Indonesia
Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 19:54:17 UTC · 5.884°S, 130.186°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 285 km W of Tual, Indonesia on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 19:54:17 UTC, at a depth of 11.2 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.5 on November 14, 2023.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 11 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
80 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
11 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 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on November 15, 2023. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.4Banda Sea2y ago · 50 km S of this epicenter
- 4.3Banda Sea2y ago · 46 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.5281 km W of Tual, Indonesia2y ago · 32 km N of this epicenter
- 4.7275 km W of Tual, Indonesia2y ago · 11 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.6Banda Sea2y ago · 25 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.8Banda Sea2y ago · 24 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,602 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 · 184 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.11963 Banda Sea EarthquakeNovember 4, 1963 · 135 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 152 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, IndonesiaJanuary 9, 2023 · 132 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6196 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaJanuary 27, 2006 · 232 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 106 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.355 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaOctober 8, 1950 · 286 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.3281 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaDecember 20, 1992 · 81 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 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 · 85 km away · intensity IX
60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1763
Bandaneira
12 Sep 1763 · 24 km away · intensity X
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1711M7.0
Banda Sea
5 Sep 1711 · 247 km away
2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2023M7.6
Banda Sea
9 Jan 2023 · 131 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1710
Bandaneira
6 Mar 1710 · 154 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1938M8.6
New Guinea
1 Feb 1938 · 184 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.