Reviewed by USGSIndonesia27y ago
M6.2 earthquake 92 km SSW of Luwuk, Indonesia
Thursday, August 12, 1999, 05:44:59 UTC · 1.716°S, 122.456°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 92 km SSW of Luwuk, Indonesia on Thursday, August 12, 1999, 05:44:59 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on November 29, 1998.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mwc
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
75 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Banda Sea 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 100 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on August 13, 1999. 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 437 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11939 Sulawesi EarthquakeDecember 21, 1939 · 192 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8160 km W of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 22, 1905 · 275 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7120 km NE of Palu, IndonesiaMay 19, 1938 · 283 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.7264 km ESE of Luwuk, IndonesiaNovember 29, 1998 · 273 km E of this epicenter
- 7.433 km NW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaNovember 8, 1941 · 275 km N of this epicenter
- 7.491 km SW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1984 · 181 km N of this epicenter
- 6.977 km NNW of Masamba, IndonesiaJune 7, 1968 · 265 km W of this epicenter
- 6.8161 km S of Luwuk, IndonesiaNovember 19, 1913 · 75 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 108 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1927M6.2
Sulawesi: Donggala
1 Dec 1927 · 211 km away · intensity VII
50 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1998M7.7
Mangole, Manado, Taliabu
29 Nov 1998 · 273 km away · intensity VII
41 deaths$200 million damagetsunami
- 1938M7.7
Sulawesi Island
19 May 1938 · 283 km away · intensity IX
17 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1939M8.0
Centrtal Sulawesi: Kalo,Luwuk,Sula I
21 Dec 1939 · 200 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1907
Sulawesi: Lemo, Colo, Anja, Olu Congko
30 Jul 1907 · 165 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1960
Central Sulawesi: Una-Una Island
29 Apr 1960 · 172 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.