Reviewed by USGSIndonesia26y ago
M5.5 earthquake 62 km SE of Luwuk, Indonesia
Sunday, August 20, 2000, 22:38:30 UTC · 1.397°S, 123.134°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 62 km SE of Luwuk, Indonesia on Sunday, August 20, 2000, 22:38:30 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on August 3, 2000.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 33 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
136 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Banda Sea plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 75 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on August 22, 2000. 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 591 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 · 158 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8160 km W of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 22, 1905 · 279 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.875 km NNW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaApril 18, 1990 · 289 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7264 km ESE of Luwuk, IndonesiaNovember 29, 1998 · 209 km E of this epicenter
- 7.689 km E of Luwuk, IndonesiaMay 4, 2000 · 59 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.579 km NNW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJune 20, 1991 · 291 km N of this epicenter
- 7.433 km NW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaNovember 8, 1941 · 239 km N of this epicenter
- 7.491 km SW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1984 · 161 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 148 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2000M7.6
Sulawesi: Luwuk, Banggai, Peleng,
4 May 2000 · 59 km away
54 deaths$30 million damagetsunami
- 1927M6.2
Sulawesi: Donggala
1 Dec 1927 · 271 km away · intensity VII
50 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1998M7.7
Mangole, Manado, Taliabu
29 Nov 1998 · 209 km away · intensity VII
41 deaths$200 million damagetsunami
- 1990M7.6
Minahassa Peninsula: Bolaang-Gorontalo
18 Apr 1990 · 289 km away
3 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1991M7.5
Minahassa: Gorontalo, Mamado
20 Jun 1991 · 291 km away · intensity VI
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1939M8.0
Centrtal Sulawesi: Kalo,Luwuk,Sula I
21 Dec 1939 · 156 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.