QuakeScout
Magnitude4.9

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia37y ago

M4.9 earthquake 87 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia

Thursday, June 15, 1989, 02:10:01 UTC · 2.438°N, 128.352°E

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 87 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia on Thursday, June 15, 1989, 02:10:01 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on May 21, 1989.

Magnitude
4.9
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

338 tons of TNT

That is about 1/45 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

34 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 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 852 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 299 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 16 km E of this epicenter
  3. 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 260 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 272 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 179 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 216 km W of this epicenter
  7. 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 293 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 200 km N 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:

  1. 1855

    Maluku: Ternate Island

    14 Jul 1855 · 216 km away · intensity IX

    34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  2. 1989M5.6

    Molucca Passage: Morotai, Tanawangu

    8 Mar 1989 · 287 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)

  3. 1889M8.0

    N. Moluccas Islands

    6 Sep 1889 · 283 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1840

    Maluku: Ternate Island

    14 Feb 1840 · 215 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 1968M7.6

    Molucca Islands: Manado, Celebes

    10 Aug 1968 · 266 km away

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  6. 1910M6.7

    Sulawesi-N. Moluccas Islands

    18 Dec 1910 · 230 km away · intensity VIII

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

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

Nearby trackers

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