Reviewed by USGSIndonesia38y ago
M4.5 earthquake 133 km NE of Tobelo, Indonesia
Monday, April 10, 1989, 12:17:15 UTC · 2.667°N, 128.764°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 133 km NE of Tobelo, Indonesia on Monday, April 10, 1989, 12:17:15 UTC, at a depth of 261.6 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on April 9, 1989.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 262 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
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
45 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: intermediate
262 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on May 10, 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 745 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 43 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 272 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 230 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 268 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 190 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2182 km WNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1938 · 252 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1152 km WNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaFebruary 10, 1989 · 226 km W of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaMarch 27, 1949 · 126 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 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 · 264 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1840
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Feb 1840 · 262 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1910M6.7
Sulawesi-N. Moluccas Islands
18 Dec 1910 · 246 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1907M7.9
Djailolo Gilolo
25 Jun 1907 · 270 km away
- 1969M7.5
Talaud Islands, Mindanao, Visayan
30 Jan 1969 · 281 km away
- 1846M7.3
N. Moluccas Islands
25 Jan 1846 · 262 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.