QuakeScout
Magnitude4.8

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia25y ago

M4.8 earthquake 205 km SE of Katabu, Indonesia

Thursday, November 8, 2001, 06:53:05 UTC · 6.090°S, 123.971°E

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 205 km SE of Katabu, Indonesia on Thursday, November 8, 2001, 06:53:05 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on November 5, 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 earthquake

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

153 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 282 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.9169 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaJune 17, 1996 · 192 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 7.5155 km E of Kendari, IndonesiaOctober 19, 2001 · 221 km N of this epicenter
  3. 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 299 km E of this epicenter
  4. 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 226 km W of this epicenter
  5. 7.0194 km SE of Baubau, IndonesiaAugust 6, 1914 · 52 km S of this epicenter
  6. 7.0166 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteJune 22, 1966 · 145 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 6.9215 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteOctober 18, 1964 · 127 km S of this epicenter
  8. 6.927 km NNW of Maubara, Timor LesteMay 14, 1995 · 285 km SE of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 427 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1896

    Timor: Alor Island

    18 Apr 1896 · 255 km away · intensity VIII

    250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  2. 1987M6.5

    Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung

    26 Nov 1987 · 241 km away

    125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami

  3. 1991M6.5

    Timor: Kalabahi, Dili

    4 Jul 1991 · 237 km away

    28 deaths$8 million damage

  4. 1982M5.9

    Flores Island: Eastern

    25 Dec 1982 · 276 km away

    13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami

  5. 1995M6.9

    Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara

    14 May 1995 · 288 km away · intensity VII

    11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  6. 1989M6.2

    Timor: Alor

    14 Jul 1989 · 256 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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