Reviewed by USGSIndonesia35y ago
M6.9 earthquake 160 km NNE of Maumere, Indonesia
Friday, June 7, 1991, 11:51:25 UTC · 7.204°S, 122.533°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 160 km NNE of Maumere, Indonesia on Friday, June 7, 1991, 11:51:25 UTC, at a depth of 536.4 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on May 24, 1990.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 536 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
338 kilotons of TNT
That is about 22 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 708 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
73 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Banda Sea and Timor plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: deep
536 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.3 on July 6, 1991. 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 228 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 200 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1135 km NNE of Labuan Bajo, IndonesiaMay 24, 1990 · 240 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 83 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 175 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 226 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 143 km E of this epicenter
- 6.889 km NW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteJune 25, 1953 · 212 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.892 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteJune 26, 1953 · 213 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 418 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 271 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 213 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 257 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 147 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1961M6.5
Flores: Endeh
16 Mar 1961 · 125 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1982M5.6
Flores Islands: Ruteng
6 Aug 1982 · 252 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.