Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste2y ago
M4.5 earthquake 102 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor Leste
Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 13:33:33 UTC · 7.682°S, 127.383°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 102 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor Leste on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 13:33:33 UTC, at a depth of 179.8 km (intermediate). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on November 7, 2023.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 180 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 1
- Max intensity IV
- 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
55 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
180 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
1 people reported feeling this earthquake to USGS; a per-place breakdown is not available 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on November 17, 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 1,062 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 · 258 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 220 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, IndonesiaJanuary 9, 2023 · 298 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6196 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaJanuary 27, 2006 · 259 km N of this epicenter
- 7.563 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteNovember 11, 2004 · 282 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 45 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3125 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteDecember 29, 2021 · 26 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3172 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteNovember 24, 1983 · 89 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 295 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 297 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 2004M7.5
Kepulauan Alor
11 Nov 2004 · 282 km away
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1995M6.9
Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara
14 May 1995 · 271 km away · intensity VII
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2015M6.5
East Nusa Tenggara: Alor
4 Nov 2015 · 286 km away · intensity V
$9 million damage
- 1989M6.2
Timor: Alor
14 Jul 1989 · 252 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1963M8.3
Banda Sea
4 Nov 1963 · 259 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.