Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste21y ago
M4.6 earthquake 281 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor Leste
Saturday, May 28, 2005, 14:04:41 UTC · 6.355°S, 128.334°E
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 281 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor Leste on Saturday, May 28, 2005, 14:04:41 UTC, at a depth of 394.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on May 24, 2005.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 394 km
- Deep
- 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
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
42 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Banda Sea and Timor plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: deep
394 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 M4.3 on May 29, 2005. 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 1,153 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11963 Banda Sea EarthquakeNovember 4, 1963 · 156 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 107 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 250 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 136 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.355 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaOctober 8, 1950 · 240 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3281 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaDecember 20, 1992 · 229 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3172 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteNovember 24, 1983 · 127 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 199 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 25 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 70 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1852M8.3
Maluku: Bandanaira
25 Nov 1852 · 199 km away · intensity IX
60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1763
Bandaneira
12 Sep 1763 · 188 km away · intensity X
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1711M7.0
Banda Sea
5 Sep 1711 · 272 km away
2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1950M7.6
Seram
8 Oct 1950 · 284 km away
1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1710
Bandaneira
6 Mar 1710 · 267 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1841M6.0
Banda Sea
16 Dec 1841 · 278 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.