QuakeScout
Magnitude4.8

Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste35y ago

M4.8 earthquake 76 km NW of Maubara, Timor Leste

Saturday, July 13, 1991, 11:07:45 UTC · 8.060°S, 124.783°E

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 76 km NW of Maubara, Timor Leste on Saturday, July 13, 1991, 11:07:45 UTC, at a depth of 48.9 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on July 9, 1991.

Magnitude
4.8
Light · mb
Depth
49 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

239 tons of TNT

That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

46 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: shallow

49 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 281 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 244 km NE of this epicenter
  2. 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 296 km E of this epicenter
  3. 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 249 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 191 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 189 km NW of this epicenter
  6. 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 94 km N of this epicenter
  7. 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 140 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 6.981 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteJuly 4, 1991 · 12 km W of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 416 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1896

    Timor: Alor Island

    18 Apr 1896 · 21 km away · intensity VIII

    250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  2. 1987M6.5

    Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung

    26 Nov 1987 · 72 km away

    125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami

  3. 1991M6.5

    Timor: Kalabahi, Dili

    4 Jul 1991 · 12 km away

    28 deaths$8 million damage

  4. 1982M5.9

    Flores Island: Eastern

    25 Dec 1982 · 191 km away

    13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami

  5. 1814

    Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island

    1814 · 271 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1989M6.2

    Timor: Alor

    14 Jul 1989 · 38 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

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

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