Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste6y ago
M4.8 earthquake 268 km NE of Lospalos, Timor Leste
Tuesday, November 26, 2019, 03:17:49 UTC · 6.745°S, 128.655°E
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 268 km NE of Lospalos, Timor Leste on Tuesday, November 26, 2019, 03:17:49 UTC, at a depth of 217.8 km (intermediate). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on November 23, 2019.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 218 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 1
- Max intensity III
- 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
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
12 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
218 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuta, Bali, Indonesia | III · Weak | 1 | 1519 km |
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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.2 on December 4, 2019. 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 1,448 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 · 108 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 59 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6196 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaJanuary 27, 2006 · 153 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 211 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 133 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.355 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaOctober 8, 1950 · 287 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3281 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaDecember 20, 1992 · 193 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3172 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteNovember 24, 1983 · 98 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 67 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1852M8.3
Maluku: Bandanaira
25 Nov 1852 · 206 km away · intensity IX
60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1763
Bandaneira
12 Sep 1763 · 170 km away · intensity X
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1710
Bandaneira
6 Mar 1710 · 282 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1975M5.9
Maluku: Bandanaira
15 Jan 1975 · 244 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1890
Bandaneira
23 Nov 1890 · 285 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1963M8.3
Banda Sea
4 Nov 1963 · 103 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.