Reviewed by USGSIndonesia25y ago
M7.5 earthquake 155 km E of Kendari, Indonesia
Friday, October 19, 2001, 03:28:44 UTC · 4.102°S, 123.907°E
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 155 km E of Kendari, Indonesia on Friday, October 19, 2001, 03:28:44 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
- 7.5
- Major · 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: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2.7 megatons of TNT
That is about 178 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 5,623 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
27 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 200 km
USGS lists 13 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.7 on October 21, 2001. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 5.1229 km ESE of Katabu, Indonesia25y ago · 193 km S of this epicenter
- 4.9161 km ENE of Katabu, Indonesia25y ago · 59 km S of this epicenter
- 4.7164 km E of Katabu, Indonesia25y ago · 107 km S of this epicenter
- 4.485 km E of Katabu, Indonesia25y ago · 124 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.7155 km E of Katabu, Indonesia25y ago · 84 km S of this epicenter
- 4.8130 km E of Katabu, Indonesia25y ago · 120 km S of this epicenter
- 5.5157 km ENE of Katabu, Indonesia25y ago · 51 km S of this epicenter
- 4.8203 km ESE of Katabu, Indonesia25y ago · 195 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 104 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.21965 Ceram Sea EarthquakeJanuary 24, 1965 · 280 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7264 km ESE of Luwuk, IndonesiaNovember 29, 1998 · 251 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 273 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8161 km S of Luwuk, IndonesiaNovember 19, 1913 · 245 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3Banda SeaAugust 4, 1969 · 233 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3Banda SeaFebruary 21, 1978 · 186 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.380 km ESE of Kendari, IndonesiaMay 14, 2000 · 85 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3Banda SeaMay 19, 1920 · 290 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 41 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1998M7.7
Mangole, Manado, Taliabu
29 Nov 1998 · 251 km away · intensity VII
41 deaths$200 million damagetsunami
- 2001M7.5
Banda Sea
19 Oct 2001 · 0 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.