Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste31y ago
M4.7 earthquake 13 km ENE of Maliana, Timor Leste
Monday, May 15, 1995, 02:05:29 UTC · 8.967°S, 125.342°E
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 13 km ENE of Maliana, Timor Leste on Monday, May 15, 1995, 02:05:29 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on May 14, 1995.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 33 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
107 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Timor and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
33 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.0 on May 15, 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 306 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 278 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 246 km E of this epicenter
- 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 287 km W of this epicenter
- 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 183 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 209 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 256 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.927 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteMay 14, 1995 · 70 km N of this epicenter
- 6.981 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteJuly 4, 1991 · 121 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 · 103 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 153 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 121 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 256 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1995M6.9
Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara
14 May 1995 · 66 km away · intensity VII
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1814
Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island
1814 · 233 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.