Reviewed by USGSIndonesia45y ago
M6.4 earthquake 80 km S of Dompu, Indonesia
Thursday, March 11, 1982, 10:32:27 UTC · 9.265°S, 118.479°E
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 80 km S of Dompu, Indonesia on Thursday, March 11, 1982, 10:32:27 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.3 on August 19, 1977.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · ms
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
60 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 126 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
233 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
33 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on March 23, 1982. 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 300 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.31977 Sumba, Indonesia EarthquakeAugust 19, 1977 · 210 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0133 km NNE of Pototano, IndonesiaJuly 5, 1911 · 227 km N of this epicenter
- 7.084 km SSE of Dompu, IndonesiaMay 9, 1922 · 22 km E of this epicenter
- 6.835 km SW of Ruteng, IndonesiaJanuary 26, 1968 · 201 km E of this epicenter
- 6.746 km NE of Bima, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1954 · 138 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.724 km ESE of Ruteng, IndonesiaNovember 28, 1928 · 248 km E of this epicenter
- 6.4112 km N of Labuan Bajo, IndonesiaJanuary 23, 1976 · 253 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.4248 km S of Taliwang, IndonesiaMay 28, 1972 · 254 km SW 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 689 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1820M7.5
Sulawesi: Makasar
29 Dec 1820 · 258 km away · intensity X
500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1977M8.3
Sunda Islands
19 Aug 1977 · 211 km away
189 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1979M5.4
Bali
21 May 1979 · 300 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1828
Sulawesi
29 Dec 1828 · 258 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1818M8.5
Sumbawa Island: Bima
8 Nov 1818 · 300 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1982M5.6
Flores Islands: Ruteng
6 Aug 1982 · 251 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.