Reviewed by USGSIndonesia43y ago
M5.5 earthquake 56 km SW of Komodo, Indonesia
Wednesday, November 16, 1983, 22:07:21 UTC · 8.980°S, 119.156°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 56 km SW of Komodo, Indonesia on Wednesday, November 16, 1983, 22:07:21 UTC, at a depth of 79.4 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on October 31, 1983.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 79 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
160 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Timor plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
79 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
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 December 14, 1983. 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 317 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 · 256 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0133 km NNE of Pototano, IndonesiaJuly 5, 1911 · 231 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.084 km SSE of Dompu, IndonesiaMay 9, 1922 · 61 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.835 km SW of Ruteng, IndonesiaJanuary 26, 1968 · 122 km E of this epicenter
- 6.746 km NE of Bima, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1954 · 97 km N of this epicenter
- 6.724 km ESE of Ruteng, IndonesiaNovember 28, 1928 · 169 km E of this epicenter
- 6.543 km N of Ende, IndonesiaMarch 16, 1961 · 287 km E of this epicenter
- 6.4112 km N of Labuan Bajo, IndonesiaJanuary 23, 1976 · 186 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 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 · 221 km away · intensity X
500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1977M8.3
Sunda Islands
19 Aug 1977 · 257 km away
189 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1828
Sulawesi
29 Dec 1828 · 221 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1982M5.6
Flores Islands: Ruteng
6 Aug 1982 · 170 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1836M7.5
Flores Sea
28 Nov 1836 · 91 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1954M6.8
Sumabawa: Bima,Raba
2 Nov 1954 · 110 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.