Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste31y ago
M4.0 earthquake 47 km SE of Suai, Timor Leste
Tuesday, May 16, 1995, 09:44:17 UTC · 9.635°S, 125.548°E
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 47 km SE of Suai, Timor Leste on Tuesday, May 16, 1995, 09:44:17 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.0
- 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
15 tons of TNT
That is about 1/998 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
30 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake 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 228 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 259 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 231 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 287 km N of this epicenter
- 6.927 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteMay 14, 1995 · 147 km N of this epicenter
- 6.981 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteJuly 4, 1991 · 196 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.984 km N of Metinaro, Timor LesteMarch 26, 1930 · 210 km N of this epicenter
- 6.889 km NW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteJune 25, 1953 · 218 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.892 km NNW of Pante Makasar, Timor LesteJune 26, 1953 · 215 km NW 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 · 177 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 217 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 196 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1995M6.9
Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara
14 May 1995 · 143 km away · intensity VII
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1814
Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island
1814 · 220 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1989M6.2
Timor: Alor
14 Jul 1989 · 179 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.