Reviewed by USGSIndonesia119y ago
M6.8 earthquake 60 km W of Sinabang, Indonesia
Monday, November 2, 1908, 05:15:25 UTC · 2.550°N, 95.844°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 60 km W of Sinabang, Indonesia on Monday, November 2, 1908, 05:15:25 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.2 on January 4, 1907.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
64 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and Nazca plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
25 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1 M5.0+ earthquake within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,188 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1907M8.2
Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus
4 Jan 1907 · 38 km away
2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1843M7.3
Sw. Sumatra
5 Jan 1843 · 267 km away · intensity XI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
26 Apr 1861 · 252 km away
tsunami
- 1852M6.8
Sumatra: Sibolga
11 Nov 1852 · 267 km away
tsunami
- 1861M6.8
Sw. Sumatra
17 Jun 1861 · 252 km away
tsunami
- 1816
Penang Island
1 May 1816 · 282 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.