M4.8 Earthquake 163 km NNW of Ambon, Indonesia — December 30, 2020
2020-12-30 19:10:20 UTC (2020-12-30) · approx. 3:10 AM UTC+8 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On December 30, 2020 at 19:10 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 163 km NNW of Ambon, Indonesia, at a depth of 16.4 km and coordinates -2.3988°, 127.4859°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Indonesia, a region characterized by the convergence of the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, and Philippine Sea plates, forming the Sunda-Banda arc system. The nearest mapped fault system is the Sunda megathrust. View all earthquakes in Indonesia.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
127.4859°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Ambon, Indonesia?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 163 km NNW of Ambon, Indonesia on December 30, 2020 at 19:10 UTC had a depth of 16.4 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -2.3988°, 127.4859°, which is 163 km NNW of Ambon, Indonesia. View all earthquakes in Indonesia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Indonesia had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Indonesia was the M9.1 Indian Ocean earthquake of December 26, 2004. Today's magnitude 4.8 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000d4dn). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, December 30, 2020). M4.8 Earthquake 163 km NNW of Ambon, Indonesia — December 30, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000d4dn/