Reviewed by USGSIndonesia64y ago
M6.3 earthquake 113 km S of Sumberpucung, Indonesia
Friday, December 21, 1962, 00:44:20 UTC · 9.169°S, 112.330°E
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 113 km S of Sumberpucung, Indonesia on Friday, December 21, 1962, 00:44:20 UTC, at a depth of 55.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on May 29, 1955.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 55 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
36 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 75 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
165 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
55 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.1 on December 22, 1962. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 19 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6233 km S of Pundong, IndonesiaSeptember 11, 1921 · 208 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.487 km SSW of Srandakan, IndonesiaJuly 23, 1943 · 280 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1138 km SSE of Pundong, IndonesiaSeptember 10, 1926 · 187 km W of this epicenter
- 6.992 km S of Pundong, IndonesiaSeptember 27, 1937 · 214 km W of this epicenter
- 6.7169 km S of Boyolangu, IndonesiaJuly 7, 1910 · 90 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.668 km S of Sumberpucung, IndonesiaSeptember 11, 1916 · 45 km N of this epicenter
- 6.69 km NW of Tuban, IndonesiaJune 19, 1950 · 263 km N of this epicenter
- 6.4244 km SSW of Trenggalek, IndonesiaMay 29, 1955 · 186 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 229 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1943M8.1
Java: Jogyakarta
23 Jul 1943 · 258 km away · intensity VIII
213 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1958M6.7
Java: Malang
20 Oct 1958 · 41 km away · intensity VIII
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1867
Java: Jogyakarta, Surakarta
10 Jun 1867 · 261 km away · intensity IX
5 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1859
S. Java Sea
20 Oct 1859 · 147 km away
2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1937M7.2
Java: Jogyakarta: Klumpit,Prambanan
27 Sep 1937 · 235 km away · intensity IX
1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1916M7.3
Java
11 Sep 1916 · 76 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.