Reviewed by USGSIndonesia35y ago
M4.9 earthquake 249 km NNW of Gorontalo, Indonesia
Friday, May 24, 1991, 03:06:22 UTC · 2.587°N, 122.119°E
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 249 km NNW of Gorontalo, Indonesia on Friday, May 24, 1991, 03:06:22 UTC, at a depth of 576.9 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on May 22, 1991.
- Magnitude
- 4.9
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 577 km
- Deep
- 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
26 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: deep
577 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 280 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11939 Sulawesi EarthquakeDecember 21, 1939 · 299 km S of this epicenter
- 7.8160 km W of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 22, 1905 · 227 km S of this epicenter
- 7.875 km NNW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaApril 18, 1990 · 176 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7228 km SW of Sarangani, PhilippinesJune 11, 1972 · 266 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.433 km NW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaNovember 8, 1941 · 221 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2295 km SSE of Tabiauan, PhilippinesMarch 29, 1907 · 159 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1156 km NW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 11, 1913 · 137 km S 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 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1990M7.6
Minahassa Peninsula: Bolaang-Gorontalo
18 Apr 1990 · 176 km away
3 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1983M6.1
Central Sulawesi
25 Oct 1983 · 214 km away · intensity VII
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1991M7.5
Minahassa: Gorontalo, Mamado
20 Jun 1991 · 172 km away · intensity VI
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1983M6.0
Celebes: Minahassa: Tolitoli
16 Oct 1983 · 205 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1905M8.4
Minahassa Peninsula
22 Jan 1905 · 202 km away
- 1972M7.8
Celebes Sea
11 Jun 1972 · 283 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.