Reviewed by USGSIndonesia56y ago
M7.0 earthquake 102 km SW of Padangsidempuan, Indonesia
Thursday, February 4, 1971, 15:33:29 UTC · 0.624°N, 98.738°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 102 km SW of Padangsidempuan, Indonesia on Thursday, February 4, 1971, 15:33:29 UTC, at a depth of 26.8 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on May 8, 1946.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 27 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
430 kilotons of TNT
That is about 29 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 902 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
145 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and North Andes plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
27 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 68 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.726 km S of Sijunjung, IndonesiaJune 9, 1943 · 300 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 114 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.0122 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 8, 1946 · 154 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7214 km SW of Sibolga, IndonesiaMay 29, 1914 · 138 km W of this epicenter
- 6.768 km SE of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 1, 1921 · 145 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.6142 km WNW of Pariaman, IndonesiaJanuary 2, 1936 · 84 km S of this epicenter
- 6.6150 km WNW of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 24, 1952 · 105 km S of this epicenter
- 6.563 km SSW of Padang, IndonesiaSeptember 22, 1918 · 276 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,355 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 227 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 107 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 75 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1843M7.3
Sw. Sumatra
5 Jan 1843 · 127 km away · intensity XI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1935M7.9
N Sumatera: Batu I,Padang,Sibolga
28 Dec 1935 · 88 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1971M7.1
Natal, Sibolga, Tarutung, Pasaman
4 Feb 1971 · 7 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.