Reviewed by USGSIndonesia70y ago
M6.2 earthquake 187 km S of Banjar, Indonesia
Sunday, May 12, 1957, 11:29:11 UTC · 8.890°S, 107.362°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 187 km S of Banjar, Indonesia on Sunday, May 12, 1957, 11:29:11 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on September 14, 1944.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
32 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 68 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
102 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 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 22 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 · 274 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3136 km S of Kawalu, IndonesiaSeptember 14, 1944 · 81 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.3157 km WSW of Pelabuhanratu, IndonesiaJanuary 18, 1931 · 255 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3south of Java, IndonesiaMarch 21, 1940 · 153 km S of this epicenter
- 6.2166 km SSW of Bambanglipuro, IndonesiaAugust 31, 1918 · 282 km E of this epicenter
- 6.1south of Java, IndonesiaMay 11, 1947 · 171 km W of this epicenter
- 6.083 km SSW of Banjar, IndonesiaApril 24, 1919 · 123 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 220 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1943M8.1
Java: Jogyakarta
23 Jul 1943 · 297 km away · intensity VIII
213 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1875
W Java: Kuningan
25 Oct 1875 · 244 km away · intensity VIII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1834
Java: Bogor, Cinajur
10 Oct 1834 · 247 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1926
Java: Prupuk,Margarsari,Dubuktengah
13 Dec 1926 · 269 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1847
Java: Cheribon
16 Nov 1847 · 279 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1863
Java: Banyumas
31 Jul 1863 · 263 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.