Reviewed by USGSIndonesia70y ago
M7.1 earthquake 82 km SE of Biak, Indonesia
Saturday, June 22, 1957, 23:50:35 UTC · 1.723°S, 136.592°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 82 km SE of Biak, Indonesia on Saturday, June 22, 1957, 23:50:35 UTC, at a depth of 59.1 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on September 19, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 59 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
674 kilotons of TNT
That is about 45 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,413 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
92 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Maoke and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
59 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 46 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 · 48 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 235 km E of this epicenter
- 7.736 km NNE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 182 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.65 km SW of Manokwari, IndonesiaApril 27, 1944 · 299 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6138 km SW of Insrom, IndonesiaMay 27, 1947 · 176 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3195 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 2, 1947 · 155 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2250 km ESE of Biak, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1950 · 178 km E of this epicenter
- 7.027 km NE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 192 km SW 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 250 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1864M7.8
Irian Jaya: Manokwari
23 May 1864 · 194 km away · intensity VII
250 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1957M7.3
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
22 Jun 1957 · 52 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen
26 May 1914 · 41 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1921
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani
10 Oct 1921 · 254 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 156 km away
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 187 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.