M7.3 Earthquake near Flores Sea — December 14, 2021
2021-12-14 03:20:23 UTC (2021-12-14) · approx. 11:20 AM UTC+8 local
Felt by 38 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.4 (strong).
On December 14, 2021 at 03:20 UTC, a magnitude 7.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Flores Sea, at a depth of 14.3 km and coordinates -7.6033°, 122.2274°. The earthquake was reported felt by 38 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.4 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. The nearest populated place is Riangkroko (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1.3 megatons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 66 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 38 citizen responses 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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 13,491,912 |
| MMI 4 | light | 3,159,044 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 317,787 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 1,419 |
Earthquake Details
122.2274°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.3 earthquake near Flores Sea?
The magnitude 7.3 earthquake that struck near Flores Sea on December 14, 2021 at 03:20 UTC had a depth of 14.3 km. It was felt by 38 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.4 (strong). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -7.6033°, 122.2274°, which is near Flores Sea. The nearest populated place is Riangkroko (population 0).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.3 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000gc2a). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, December 14, 2021). M7.3 Earthquake near Flores Sea — December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000gc2a/