Reviewed by USGSIndonesia37y ago
M4.7 earthquake 94 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia
Tuesday, May 2, 1989, 19:38:33 UTC · 2.452°N, 128.461°E
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 94 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia on Tuesday, May 2, 1989, 19:38:33 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on May 2, 1989.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- 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
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
46 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: shallow
33 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
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 820 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 · 8 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 272 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 189 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 228 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 201 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2182 km WNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1938 · 216 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1129 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaMay 3, 1925 · 276 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 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 · 224 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1989M5.6
Molucca Passage: Morotai, Tanawangu
8 Mar 1989 · 298 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1889M8.0
N. Moluccas Islands
6 Sep 1889 · 294 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1840
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Feb 1840 · 223 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1968M7.6
Molucca Islands: Manado, Celebes
10 Aug 1968 · 277 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1910M6.7
Sulawesi-N. Moluccas Islands
18 Dec 1910 · 237 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.