Reviewed by USGSIndonesia25y ago
M4.8 earthquake 130 km E of Katabu, Indonesia
Saturday, October 20, 2001, 21:56:48 UTC · 5.159°S, 123.669°E
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 130 km E of Katabu, Indonesia on Saturday, October 20, 2001, 21:56:48 UTC, at a depth of 24.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on October 20, 2001.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 24 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
58 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
24 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 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.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 158 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 · 250 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5155 km E of Kendari, IndonesiaOctober 19, 2001 · 120 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 248 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 159 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 252 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 230 km S of this epicenter
- 6.9160 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaJune 7, 1991 · 260 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5201 km SSE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 18, 1912 · 217 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 2001M7.5
Banda Sea
19 Oct 2001 · 120 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.