It had a magnitude of Mw 7.7 and a maximum felt intensity of VII (Damaging) on the European macroseismic scale.

The major slip events on the subduction zone interface are typically of megathrust type.

Historically, great or giant megathrust earthquakes have been recorded in 1797, 1833, 1861, 2004, 2005 and 2007, most of them being associated with devastating tsunamis.

The islands of Tanahbala and Sigata showed evidence of uplift, with low-lying areas no longer flooded at high tide.

The estimated source parameters for the earthquake are 65 km length, 30 km width with a maximum displacement of 3 m.[4] Such a rupture zone has a predicted pattern of uplift and subsidence and this has been found to be consistent with paleogeodetic records taken from coral microatolls around the Batu Islands.