Reviewed by USGSIndonesia25y ago
M4.8 earthquake 203 km ESE of Katabu, Indonesia
Saturday, October 20, 2001, 14:03:47 UTC · 5.845°S, 124.107°E
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 203 km ESE of Katabu, Indonesia on Saturday, October 20, 2001, 14:03:47 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on October 19, 2001.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
123 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 50 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.1 on November 11, 2001. 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 247 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 · 221 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5155 km E of Kendari, IndonesiaOctober 19, 2001 · 195 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 293 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 249 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 80 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 164 km S of this epicenter
- 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 156 km S of this epicenter
- 6.981 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteJuly 4, 1991 · 259 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 403 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 277 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 267 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 259 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1989M6.2
Timor: Alor
14 Jul 1989 · 273 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 2001M7.5
Banda Sea
19 Oct 2001 · 195 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.