Reviewed by USGSIndonesia80y ago
M7.6 earthquake 138 km SW of Insrom, Indonesia
Tuesday, May 27, 1947, 05:58:57 UTC · 1.868°S, 135.017°E
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 138 km SW of Insrom, Indonesia on Tuesday, May 27, 1947, 05:58:57 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on April 27, 1944.
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
3.8 megatons of TNT
That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
186 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Maoke and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 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 31 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 · 215 km E of this epicenter
- 7.736 km NNE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 153 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.65 km SW of Manokwari, IndonesiaApril 27, 1944 · 154 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.196 km SSW of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 27, 1942 · 253 km S of this epicenter
- 7.027 km NE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 167 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9148 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 5, 1922 · 271 km E of this epicenter
- 6.868 km W of Manokwari, IndonesiaJuly 19, 1934 · 210 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.866 km W of Manokwari, IndonesiaApril 5, 1937 · 210 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 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 · 97 km away · intensity VII
250 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen
26 May 1914 · 214 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 167 km away
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 137 km away
- 1915M6.0
Nw. Irian Jaya
6 Nov 1915 · 146 km away
tsunami
- 1915
Kaimana
23 May 1915 · 246 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.