QuakeScout
Magnitude4.1

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia37y ago

M4.1 earthquake 223 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia

Wednesday, May 3, 1989, 23:06:31 UTC · 3.294°N, 126.743°E

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck 223 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia on Wednesday, May 3, 1989, 23:06:31 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
4.1
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 earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

21 tons of TNT

That is about 1/707 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 22 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

105 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

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 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 1,146 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 267 km N of this epicenter
  2. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 115 km N of this epicenter
  3. 7.7228 km SW of Sarangani, PhilippinesJune 11, 1972 · 288 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 219 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 210 km S of this epicenter
  6. 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 173 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 166 km NE of this epicenter
  8. 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 223 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,096 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1856

    Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)

    2 Mar 1856 · 144 km away

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

  2. 1913M7.8

    Sangihe Island

    14 Mar 1913 · 239 km away · intensity IX

    138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1845M7.0

    N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon

    8 Feb 1845 · 291 km away · intensity IX

    118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1855

    Maluku: Ternate Island

    14 Jul 1855 · 284 km away · intensity IX

    34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  5. 1858M7.3

    N. Moluccas Islands

    13 Dec 1858 · 268 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1989M5.6

    Molucca Passage: Morotai, Tanawangu

    8 Mar 1989 · 259 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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