Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste31y ago
M6.9 earthquake 27 km NNW of Maubara, Timor Leste
Sunday, May 14, 1995, 11:33:18 UTC · 8.378°S, 125.127°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 27 km NNW of Maubara, Timor Leste on Sunday, May 14, 1995, 11:33:18 UTC, at a depth of 11.2 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on July 4, 1991.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 11 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
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
90 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
11 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 100 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on May 14, 1995. 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 347 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 297 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 239 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 257 km E of this epicenter
- 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 273 km W of this epicenter
- 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 164 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 239 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 140 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 192 km NW 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 427 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 44 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 108 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 58 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 225 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1995M6.9
Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara
14 May 1995 · 12 km away · intensity VII
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1814
Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island
1814 · 262 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.