Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste31y ago
M4.6 earthquake 29 km SSE of Same, Timor Leste
Tuesday, May 16, 1995, 06:41:21 UTC · 9.253°S, 125.733°E
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 29 km SSE of Same, Timor Leste on Tuesday, May 16, 1995, 06:41:21 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on May 15, 1995.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- 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
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
60 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Timor and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.2 on May 17, 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 286 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 · 296 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 290 km N of this epicenter
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 219 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 184 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 257 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.927 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteMay 14, 1995 · 118 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.981 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteJuly 4, 1991 · 173 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.984 km N of Metinaro, Timor LesteMarch 26, 1930 · 166 km N 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 414 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 155 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 206 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 173 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1995M6.9
Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara
14 May 1995 · 117 km away · intensity VII
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1814
Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island
1814 · 254 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1989M6.2
Timor: Alor
14 Jul 1989 · 146 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.