Reviewed by USGSIndonesia59y ago
M7.5 earthquake 143 km WSW of Abepura, Indonesia
Tuesday, May 28, 1968, 13:27:20 UTC · 2.867°S, 139.370°E
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 143 km WSW of Abepura, Indonesia on Tuesday, May 28, 1968, 13:27:20 UTC, at a depth of 60.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on September 20, 1935.
- Magnitude
- 7.5
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 60 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very 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
2.7 megatons of TNT
That is about 178 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 5,623 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
23 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
60 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 83 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.21914 Biak EarthquakeMay 26, 1914 · 287 km W of this epicenter
- 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 99 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8New Guinea, Papua New GuineaSeptember 20, 1935 · 249 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6158 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1926 · 15 km W of this epicenter
- 7.593 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1917 · 278 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3195 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 2, 1947 · 260 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2250 km ESE of Biak, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1950 · 161 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.073 km ENE of Vanimo, Papua New GuineaDecember 15, 1907 · 286 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 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 · 144 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1914M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen
26 May 1914 · 293 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1921
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani
10 Oct 1921 · 89 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1919
Irian Jaya Region
21 Nov 1919 · 157 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1926M7.9
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
26 Oct 1926 · 120 km away
- 1935M7.8
N-Central
20 Sep 1935 · 251 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.