Reviewed by USGSIndonesia35y ago
M5.3 earthquake 153 km N of Maumere, Indonesia
Saturday, July 6, 1991, 11:10:19 UTC · 7.236°S, 122.354°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 153 km N of Maumere, Indonesia on Saturday, July 6, 1991, 11:10:19 UTC, at a depth of 550.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on July 5, 1991.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 550 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
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
75 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
550 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 230 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 · 220 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 74 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 195 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 246 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 163 km E of this epicenter
- 6.981 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteJuly 4, 1991 · 274 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9160 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaJune 7, 1991 · 20 km E 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 · 287 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 228 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 274 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 153 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1961M6.5
Flores: Endeh
16 Mar 1961 · 114 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1982M5.6
Flores Islands: Ruteng
6 Aug 1982 · 233 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.