Reviewed by USGSIndonesia30y ago
M5.4 earthquake 164 km N of Maumere, Indonesia
Thursday, July 4, 1996, 15:37:50 UTC · 7.148°S, 122.395°E
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 164 km N of Maumere, Indonesia on Thursday, July 4, 1996, 15:37:50 UTC, at a depth of 600.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.9 on June 17, 1996.
- Magnitude
- 5.4
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 600 km
- Deep
- 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
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
83 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: deep
600 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 317 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9169 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaJune 17, 1996 · 21 km E of this epicenter
- 7.837 km WNW of Maumere, IndonesiaDecember 12, 1992 · 158 km S of this epicenter
- 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 209 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1135 km NNE of Labuan Bajo, IndonesiaMay 24, 1990 · 225 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 68 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 187 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 242 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 159 km E 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 2,918 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1992M7.8
Flores Region, Maumere, Babi
12 Dec 1992 · 158 km away · intensity XI
2,500 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 287 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 229 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 273 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 159 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1961M6.5
Flores: Endeh
16 Mar 1961 · 125 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.