Magnitude 7.6 Mw Max. intensity V (Moderate) | Areas affected Indonesia Date 27 January 2006 | |
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Similar 1938 Banda Sea earthquake, 2009 Papua earthquakes, March 2007 Sumatra, 2016 Sumatra earthquake, 1992 Flores earthquake | ||
The 2006 Banda Sea earthquake occurred in the Banda Sea region, at 16:58 (UTC) on January 27, 2006, with a magnitude of 7.6Mw. The location was 200 km south of Ambon Island, and 445 km north east of Dili, East Timor. Other significant earthquakes occur regularly (2005, 2009 for example), however they are not identified readily due to the isolation of the occurrences, lack of damage to human communities, and dearth of reporting and research. The 2006 Banda Sea earthquake was felt as far away as Northern Australia.
Tectonics
The hypocenter was located at a depth of around 397 km (247 mi). The earthquake occurred as a result of the past subduction of the Australia Plate beneath the Timor Plate at the Timor Trough. Although subduction no longer occurs between these two plates, the subducted Australian Plate nevertheless remains highly seismic.