Reviewed by USGSIndonesia45y ago
M5.2 earthquake 104 km S of Dompu, Indonesia
Tuesday, March 23, 1982, 11:52:40 UTC · 9.478°S, 118.369°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 104 km S of Dompu, Indonesia on Tuesday, March 23, 1982, 11:52:40 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on March 11, 1982.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 33 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
210 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.2 on April 11, 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 293 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 · 186 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0133 km NNE of Pototano, IndonesiaJuly 5, 1911 · 247 km N of this epicenter
- 7.084 km SSE of Dompu, IndonesiaMay 9, 1922 · 41 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.835 km SW of Ruteng, IndonesiaJanuary 26, 1968 · 219 km E of this epicenter
- 6.746 km NE of Bima, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1954 · 165 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.724 km ESE of Ruteng, IndonesiaNovember 28, 1928 · 267 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7297 km S of Praya, IndonesiaApril 10, 1978 · 279 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.4112 km N of Labuan Bajo, IndonesiaJanuary 23, 1976 · 279 km NE 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 716 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1820M7.5
Sulawesi: Makasar
29 Dec 1820 · 284 km away · intensity X
500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1977M8.3
Sunda Islands
19 Aug 1977 · 187 km away
189 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1979M6.3
Sumbawa Island: Bali, Lombok
17 Dec 1979 · 298 km away
27 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M5.4
Bali
21 May 1979 · 298 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1828
Sulawesi
29 Dec 1828 · 284 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1982M5.6
Flores Islands: Ruteng
6 Aug 1982 · 272 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.