QuakeScout
Magnitude5.0

Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste31y ago

M5.0 earthquake 16 km NW of Dili, Timor Leste

Tuesday, May 16, 1995, 15:22:55 UTC · 8.443°S, 125.478°E

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 16 km NW of Dili, Timor Leste on Tuesday, May 16, 1995, 15:22:55 UTC, at a depth of 31.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on May 15, 1995.

Magnitude
5.0
Moderate · mw
Depth
32 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

477 tons of TNT

That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

107 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Banda Sea and Timor plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

Depth: shallow

32 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 75 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 351 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 265 km NE of this epicenter
  2. 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 221 km NE of this epicenter
  3. 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 219 km E of this epicenter
  4. 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 134 km NE of this epicenter
  5. 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 267 km NW of this epicenter
  6. 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 166 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 227 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 6.927 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteMay 14, 1995 · 39 km W of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 427 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1896

    Timor: Alor Island

    18 Apr 1896 · 83 km away · intensity VIII

    250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  2. 1987M6.5

    Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung

    26 Nov 1987 · 147 km away

    125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami

  3. 1991M6.5

    Timor: Kalabahi, Dili

    4 Jul 1991 · 96 km away

    28 deaths$8 million damage

  4. 1982M5.9

    Flores Island: Eastern

    25 Dec 1982 · 264 km away

    13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami

  5. 1995M6.9

    Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara

    14 May 1995 · 47 km away · intensity VII

    11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  6. 1814

    Timor Island, Kupang, Kissar Island

    1814 · 283 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

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

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