QuakeScout
Magnitude5.0

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia40y ago

M5.0 earthquake 61 km W of Tobelo, Indonesia

Saturday, October 25, 1986, 17:03:45 UTC · 1.832°N, 127.464°E

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 61 km W of Tobelo, Indonesia on Saturday, October 25, 1986, 17:03:45 UTC, at a depth of 112.6 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on October 22, 1986.

Magnitude
5.0
Moderate · mb
Depth
113 km
Intermediate
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
—
No ShakeMap
PAGER alert
None
Not issued
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

477 tons of TNT

That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

54 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: intermediate

113 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 802 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 296 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 130 km NE of this epicenter
  3. 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 238 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 144 km W of this epicenter
  5. 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 64 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 105 km W of this epicenter
  7. 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 254 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 271 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,965 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1856

    Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)

    2 Mar 1856 · 299 km away

    2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1845M7.0

    N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon

    8 Feb 1845 · 293 km away · intensity IX

    118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1855

    Maluku: Ternate Island

    14 Jul 1855 · 116 km away · intensity IX

    34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  4. 1932M7.7

    Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano

    14 May 1932 · 238 km away · intensity VII

    7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1858M7.3

    N. Moluccas Islands

    13 Dec 1858 · 187 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1889M8.0

    N. Moluccas Islands

    6 Sep 1889 · 164 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

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

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