Reviewed by USGSIndonesia63y ago
M6.9 earthquake 5 km W of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Thursday, April 2, 1964, 01:11:43 UTC · 5.543°N, 95.282°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 5 km W of Banda Aceh, Indonesia on Thursday, April 2, 1964, 01:11:43 UTC, at a depth of 17.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on May 17, 1955.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 18 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
362 kilotons of TNT
That is about 24 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 759 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
26 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Burma plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
18 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 45 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.0190 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaMay 17, 1955 · 212 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.040 km NE of Meulaboh, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1935 · 179 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.975 km WSW of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaAugust 23, 1936 · 70 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.8238 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaJanuary 20, 1917 · 258 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.7171 km W of Meulaboh, IndonesiaDecember 9, 1929 · 175 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.720 km SSW of Sigli, IndonesiaJuly 23, 1945 · 78 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.63 km ESE of Sabang, IndonesiaJanuary 30, 1942 · 38 km N of this epicenter
- 6.6249 km NW of Sabang, IndonesiaMarch 5, 1921 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 9 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1936M7.3
Banda Aceh,Lhok Sukon,Lhoksemawe
23 Aug 1936 · 89 km away · intensity VIII
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1964M7.0
Banda Aceh
2 Apr 1964 · 61 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1837M7.3
Banda Atjeh
29 Sep 1837 · 80 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1847
Little Nicobar Island
31 Oct 1847 · 267 km away · intensity X
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1955M7.3
Little Nicobar Island
17 May 1955 · 177 km away
tsunami
- 1949M6.7
Banda Aceh
9 May 1949 · 68 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.