QuakeScout
Magnitude3.9

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia31y ago

M3.9 earthquake 237 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia

Wednesday, February 28, 1996, 20:17:26 UTC · 6.421°S, 130.762°E

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 237 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia on Wednesday, February 28, 1996, 20:17:26 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
3.9
Minor · 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 earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

11 tons of TNT

That is about 1/1,410 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 45 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

30 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

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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 859 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.51938 Banda Sea EarthquakeFebruary 1, 1938 · 180 km NE of this epicenter
  2. 8.11963 Banda Sea EarthquakeNovember 4, 1963 · 141 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 180 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 44 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 7.3281 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaDecember 20, 1992 · 45 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 7.1196 km SSE of Ambon, IndonesiaJuly 4, 1914 · 226 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.1186 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteMay 15, 1962 · 299 km W of this epicenter
  8. 7.1297 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteDecember 25, 1995 · 186 km W of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 67 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1852M8.3

    Maluku: Bandanaira

    25 Nov 1852 · 172 km away · intensity IX

    60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1763

    Bandaneira

    12 Sep 1763 · 96 km away · intensity X

    7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1710

    Bandaneira

    6 Mar 1710 · 231 km away · intensity IX

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  4. 1938M8.6

    New Guinea

    1 Feb 1938 · 180 km away · intensity VI

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 1975M5.9

    Maluku: Bandanaira

    15 Jan 1975 · 179 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  6. 1890

    Bandaneira

    23 Nov 1890 · 234 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

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

Nearby trackers

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