Reviewed by USGSIndonesia56y ago
M5.9 earthquake 112 km SW of Abepura, Indonesia
Tuesday, January 12, 1971, 14:57:12 UTC · 3.393°S, 139.997°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 112 km SW of Abepura, Indonesia on Tuesday, January 12, 1971, 14:57:12 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on January 10, 1971.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 23 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
6 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Woodlark and Maoke plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 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 75 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on January 14, 1971. 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 98 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 188 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8New Guinea, Papua New GuineaSeptember 20, 1935 · 162 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7120 km SW of Abepura, IndonesiaJanuary 10, 1971 · 35 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6158 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1926 · 101 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5143 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaMay 28, 1968 · 91 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.593 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1917 · 195 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2250 km ESE of Biak, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1950 · 252 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.143 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaAugust 7, 1931 · 226 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1900M6.9
Nw. Irian Jaya
7 Oct 1900 · 67 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1971M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya:Djajapura,Sentani
10 Jan 1971 · 46 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1907M7.4
Bismarck Sea
15 Dec 1907 · 280 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1921
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani
10 Oct 1921 · 180 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1951M6.1
Bismarck Sea
22 Feb 1951 · 249 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1919
Irian Jaya Region
21 Nov 1919 · 126 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.