Reviewed by USGS2y ago
M5.0 earthquake in Banda Sea
Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 16:39:21 UTC · 6.558°S, 129.857°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in Banda Sea on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 16:39:21 UTC, at a depth of 169.9 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on March 10, 2024.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 170 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
2 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
170 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 75 km
USGS lists 15 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on March 19, 2024. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.4291 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia2y ago · 45 km E of this epicenter
- 4.3Kepulauan Babar, Indonesia2y ago · 61 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.2Banda Sea2y ago · 13 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.5Banda Sea2y ago · 32 km W of this epicenter
- 4.5Banda Sea2y ago · 36 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.5Banda Sea2y ago · 47 km S of this epicenter
- 4.2276 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia2y ago · 61 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.1Banda Sea2y ago · 37 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,572 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 · 257 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.11963 Banda Sea EarthquakeNovember 4, 1963 · 52 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 80 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, IndonesiaJanuary 9, 2023 · 58 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6196 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaJanuary 27, 2006 · 226 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 81 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 262 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3125 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteDecember 29, 2021 · 275 km SW 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 · 146 km away · intensity IX
60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1763
Bandaneira
12 Sep 1763 · 64 km away · intensity X
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1711M7.0
Banda Sea
5 Sep 1711 · 300 km away
2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2023M7.6
Banda Sea
9 Jan 2023 · 58 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1710
Bandaneira
6 Mar 1710 · 226 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1938M8.6
New Guinea
1 Feb 1938 · 257 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.