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Earthquake Summary
Earthquake Summary Poster
Felt Reports
At least three people killed, 20 injured, 700 houses collapsed and communications disrupted in the Buol area. One person killed, 23 injured and many buildings damaged in Gorontalo. Felt (VII) at Baolan; (VI) at Gorontalo and Tolitoli; (IV) at Manado and Poso; (III) at Luwuk. Also felt (IV) at Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei and (II) at Darwin, Australia. Felt at Kolaka, Kuta, Makasar, Palu and Ujung Bulu, Indonesia; Kunak and Sandakan, Malaysia; General Santos and Koronadal, Philippines.
Tectonic Summary
The magnitude 7.3 Sulawesi, Indonesia earthquake of November 16, 2008 occurred as a result of thrust faulting on a plate-boundary that is marked by the North Sulawesi trench, separating the Celebes Sea basin and the Minahassa peninsula. Eastern Indonesia is characterized by complex tectonics in which motions of numerous small plates are accommodating large-scale convergence between the Australia and Eurasia plates. At the location of today's earthquake, the Celebes Sea basin (commonly considered part of the Sunda plate) moves south with respect to the Minahassa peninsula (part of the Molucca Sea plate) at a velocity of about 30 mm/year. The lithosphere of the Celebes Sea basin is thrust beneath that of the Minahassa peninsula and is seismically active to a depth of about 250 km.
The earthquake occurred approximately 25 km off the northern coast of the Minahassa peninsula of the Island of Sulawesi in an area that has seen large earthquakes in the past. For example, a damaging magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred on April 18, 1990 approximately 85 km east of today's earthquake. The magnitude 7.6 earthquake in 1990 was followed a year later by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in approximately the same place. More recently a magnitude 7.0 occurred within 45 km of today's earthquake on November 25, 1997. The 1997 earthquake caused damage to at least 90 building in the Gorontalo area of northern Sulawesi.
Earthquake Information for Asia
Earthquake Information for Indonesia
Tsunami Information
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) a major magnitude 7.5 earthquake has struck Sulawesi, Indonesia, causing a tsunami warning to be issued. The USGS originally reported the quake as a 7.8. Local seismologists in Indonesia put the magnitude at 7.7.
Map of quake epicenter.
The NOAA had issued a tsunami warning for all areas within 1,000 k.m. of the quake's epicenter, but was later lifted.

Some witnesses report their homes shaking followed by scared residents running out of their homes to seek higher ground. Many buildings have collapsed in Gorontalo. The USGS states that damage could be "moderate to heavy". At least 200,000 people reside in the area. The city of Tolitoli in Central Sulawesi, also reported collapsed buildings. There are no reports of deaths, but at least one person was injured in a building collapse.

The quake struck 135 kilometers (85 miles) Northwest of Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia with a depth of 21 k.m. (13.0 miles) . It struck the region just after 1:00 a.m. local time (12:02 p.m. EST). 

At least two aftershocks struck approximately 30 minutes and one hour later with magnitudes of 5.6 and 5.5