Reviewed by USGSIndonesia70y ago
M6.0 earthquake 183 km S of Banjar, Indonesia
Monday, April 29, 1957, 20:56:04 UTC · 8.832°S, 107.138°E
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 183 km S of Banjar, Indonesia on Monday, April 29, 1957, 20:56:04 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on May 11, 1947.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 25 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
13 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 27 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
97 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
25 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.2 on May 12, 1957. 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 21 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.487 km SSW of Srandakan, IndonesiaJuly 23, 1943 · 298 km E of this epicenter
- 6.585 km SW of Labuan, IndonesiaMay 12, 1923 · 298 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3136 km S of Kawalu, IndonesiaSeptember 14, 1944 · 103 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3157 km WSW of Pelabuhanratu, IndonesiaJanuary 18, 1931 · 231 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3south of Java, IndonesiaMarch 21, 1940 · 167 km S of this epicenter
- 6.1south of Java, IndonesiaMay 11, 1947 · 148 km W of this epicenter
- 6.083 km SSW of Banjar, IndonesiaApril 24, 1919 · 112 km N 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 7 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1875
W Java: Kuningan
25 Oct 1875 · 250 km away · intensity VIII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1834
Java: Bogor, Cinajur
10 Oct 1834 · 238 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1926
Java: Prupuk,Margarsari,Dubuktengah
13 Dec 1926 · 281 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1847
Java: Cheribon
16 Nov 1847 · 286 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1863
Java: Banyumas
31 Jul 1863 · 280 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1900
Java: Sukabumi
14 Jan 1900 · 222 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.