Reviewed by USGSIndonesia38y ago
M4.2 earthquake 164 km ENE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia
Friday, March 3, 1989, 09:08:07 UTC · 2.091°N, 126.327°E
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 164 km ENE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia on Friday, March 3, 1989, 09:08:07 UTC, at a depth of 121.2 km (intermediate).
- Magnitude
- 4.2
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 121 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 tons of TNT
That is about 1/500 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 16 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
121 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 lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.0 on March 20, 1989. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 5.0160 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia38y ago · 40 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.8170 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia38y ago · 43 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.4178 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia38y ago · 16 km E of this epicenter
- 3.9134 km ENE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia38y ago · 30 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,032 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 242 km N of this epicenter
- 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 243 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 196 km S of this epicenter
- 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 70 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 289 km N of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 126 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 39 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 169 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 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:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 198 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 178 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 180 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.7
Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano
14 May 1932 · 196 km away · intensity VII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1858M7.3
N. Moluccas Islands
13 Dec 1858 · 127 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1989M5.6
Molucca Passage: Morotai, Tanawangu
8 Mar 1989 · 119 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.