QuakeScout
Magnitude7.2

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia77y ago

M7.2 earthquake 250 km ESE of Biak, Indonesia

Tuesday, September 19, 1950, 20:29:53 UTC · 2.077°S, 138.151°E

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 250 km ESE of Biak, Indonesia on Tuesday, September 19, 1950, 20:29:53 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on April 2, 1947.

Magnitude
7.2
Major · mw
Depth
30 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

951 kilotons of TNT

That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

24 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

30 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 50 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.21914 Biak EarthquakeMay 26, 1914 · 135 km W of this epicenter
  2. 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 65 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 7.736 km NNE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 297 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.6158 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1926 · 151 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 7.3195 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 2, 1947 · 114 km N of this epicenter
  6. 7.027 km NE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 300 km SW of this epicenter
  7. 6.9148 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 5, 1922 · 113 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 6.8Papua, IndonesiaApril 18, 1948 · 43 km SE of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1900M6.9

    Nw. Irian Jaya

    7 Oct 1900 · 296 km away

    5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  2. 1914M8.1

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen

    26 May 1914 · 137 km away · intensity IX

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1921

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani

    10 Oct 1921 · 76 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  4. 1919

    Irian Jaya Region

    21 Nov 1919 · 294 km away · intensity VIII

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  5. 1916M8.1

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya

    13 Jan 1916 · 260 km away

  6. 1926M7.9

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya

    26 Oct 1926 · 163 km away

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

Nearby trackers

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