Reviewed by USGSIndonesia38y ago
M5.1 earthquake 78 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia
Thursday, March 23, 1989, 03:10:44 UTC · 2.398°N, 128.253°E
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 78 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia on Thursday, March 23, 1989, 03:10:44 UTC, at a depth of 95.4 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on March 19, 1989.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 95 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
674 tons of TNT
That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
23 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
95 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.1 on April 9, 1989. 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 861 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 · 294 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 26 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 248 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 271 km N of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 168 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 204 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 285 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 203 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 34 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 207 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1858M7.3
N. Moluccas Islands
13 Dec 1858 · 295 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1989M5.6
Molucca Passage: Morotai, Tanawangu
8 Mar 1989 · 275 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1889M8.0
N. Moluccas Islands
6 Sep 1889 · 272 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1840
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Feb 1840 · 205 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1968M7.6
Molucca Islands: Manado, Celebes
10 Aug 1968 · 254 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.