QuakeScout
Magnitude4.7

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia39y ago

M4.7 earthquake 125 km NNW of Ternate, Indonesia

Sunday, May 31, 1987, 21:18:13 UTC · 1.781°N, 126.842°E

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 125 km NNW of Ternate, Indonesia on Sunday, May 31, 1987, 21:18:13 UTC, at a depth of 102.2 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.7 on May 29, 1987.

Magnitude
4.7
Light · mb
Depth
102 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

169 tons of TNT

That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

33 km

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

Depth: intermediate

102 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 50 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 874 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 · 281 km N of this epicenter
  2. 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 195 km E of this epicenter
  3. 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 188 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 77 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 62 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 36 km W of this epicenter
  7. 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 221 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 300 km NE of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 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 · 258 km away

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

  2. 1845M7.0

    N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon

    8 Feb 1845 · 224 km away · intensity IX

    118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1855

    Maluku: Ternate Island

    14 Jul 1855 · 120 km away · intensity IX

    34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  4. 1932M7.7

    Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano

    14 May 1932 · 188 km away · intensity VII

    7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1858M7.3

    N. Moluccas Islands

    13 Dec 1858 · 128 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1889M8.0

    N. Moluccas Islands

    6 Sep 1889 · 109 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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