Reviewed by USGSIndonesia3y ago
M4.9 earthquake in Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, Indonesia
Sunday, March 26, 2023, 10:43:44 UTC · 7.536°S, 130.379°E
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck in Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, Indonesia on Sunday, March 26, 2023, 10:43:44 UTC, at a depth of 23.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on February 22, 2023.
- Magnitude
- 4.9
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 24 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
338 tons of TNT
That is about 1/45 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
90 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
24 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on March 26, 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 1,373 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 · 107 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 154 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, IndonesiaJanuary 9, 2023 · 67 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 88 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3281 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaDecember 20, 1992 · 106 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3172 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteNovember 24, 1983 · 244 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3Banda SeaJune 24, 2019 · 183 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.1196 km SSE of Ambon, IndonesiaJuly 4, 1914 · 295 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 68 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1852M8.3
Maluku: Bandanaira
25 Nov 1852 · 264 km away · intensity IX
60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1763
Bandaneira
12 Sep 1763 · 176 km away · intensity X
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2023M7.6
Banda Sea
9 Jan 2023 · 66 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1975M5.9
Maluku: Bandanaira
15 Jan 1975 · 285 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1963M8.3
Banda Sea
4 Nov 1963 · 116 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1852M7.0
Bandaneira
24 Dec 1852 · 282 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.