QuakeScout
Magnitude5.7

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia70y ago

M5.7 earthquake 18 km SE of Cepu, Indonesia

Friday, August 23, 1957, 22:51:09 UTC · 7.266°S, 111.714°E

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 18 km SE of Cepu, Indonesia on Friday, August 23, 1957, 22:51:09 UTC, at a depth of 65.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on June 19, 1950.

Magnitude
5.7
Moderate · mw
Depth
65 km
Shallow
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
V
Moderate (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

6 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 13 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

364 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

65 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 8 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.487 km SSW of Srandakan, IndonesiaJuly 23, 1943 · 255 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 7.1138 km SSE of Pundong, IndonesiaSeptember 10, 1926 · 243 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 6.992 km S of Pundong, IndonesiaSeptember 27, 1937 · 220 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 6.7169 km S of Boyolangu, IndonesiaJuly 7, 1910 · 263 km S of this epicenter
  5. 6.668 km S of Sumberpucung, IndonesiaSeptember 11, 1916 · 182 km SE of this epicenter
  6. 6.69 km NW of Tuban, IndonesiaJune 19, 1950 · 59 km NE of this epicenter
  7. 5.878 km SSE of Dampit, IndonesiaJune 20, 1929 · 226 km SE of this epicenter
  8. 5.86 km SE of Purbalingga, IndonesiaApril 17, 1944 · 255 km W 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 811 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1924

    Java: Wonosobo

    2 Dec 1924 · 200 km away · intensity IX

    727 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  2. 1924

    Java

    12 Nov 1924 · 211 km away

    60 deaths

  3. 1950M6.5

    Java: Gresik

    19 Jun 1950 · 200 km away · intensity VII

    16 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)

  4. 1867

    Java: Jogyakarta, Surakarta

    10 Jun 1867 · 157 km away · intensity IX

    5 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1859

    S. Java Sea

    20 Oct 1859 · 208 km away

    2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  6. 1937M7.2

    Java: Jogyakarta: Klumpit,Prambanan

    27 Sep 1937 · 290 km away · intensity IX

    1 deathSevere damage ($5–24M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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