M7.0 earthquake 150 km NNE of Maumere, Indonesia

Friday, February 27, 2015, 13:45:05 UTC · 7.297°S, 122.535°E

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 150 km NNE of Maumere, Indonesia on Friday, February 27, 2015, 13:45:05 UTC, at a depth of 552.1 km (deep). USGS received 17 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on November 11, 2004.

Magnitude: 7.0; Major · mww
Depth: 552 km; Deep
Felt reports: 17; Max intensity IV
Est. shaking: VI; Strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Green; Impact estimate
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

477 kilotons of TNT

That is about 32 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

63 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: deep

552 km

Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.

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
Dili, Dili, East Timor	III · Weak	5	661 km
Kuta, Bali, Indonesia	IV · Light	3	994 km
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia	IV · Light	3	988 km
Mataram, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia	III · Weak	2	907 km
Sumbawa, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia	III · Weak	1	800 km
Bima, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia	III · Weak	1	705 km
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia	II · Weak	1	983 km
Oecussi, Oecussi, East Timor	II · Weak	1	624 km

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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 200 km

USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on February 27, 2015. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 484 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

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 2,956 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1992M7.8
Flores Region, Maumere, Babi
12 Dec 1992 · 149 km away · intensity XI
2,500 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 266 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 207 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
2004M7.5
Kepulauan Alor
11 Nov 2004 · 274 km away
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 253 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 137 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers