Reviewed by USGSIndonesia82y ago
M6.7 earthquake 20 km SSW of Sigli, Indonesia
Monday, July 23, 1945, 03:54:57 UTC · 5.207°N, 95.898°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 20 km SSW of Sigli, Indonesia on Monday, July 23, 1945, 03:54:57 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on September 19, 1936.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
153 kilotons of TNT
That is about 10 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 320 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
2 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Burma plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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 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 33 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.2The 1907 Sumatra Earthquake and TsunamiJanuary 4, 1907 · 284 km S of this epicenter
- 7.186 km WSW of Pangkalan Brandan, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1936 · 252 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.040 km NE of Meulaboh, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1935 · 108 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.928 km NNE of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 4, 1917 · 286 km S of this epicenter
- 6.975 km WSW of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaAugust 23, 1936 · 131 km W of this epicenter
- 6.860 km W of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1908 · 296 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7171 km W of Meulaboh, IndonesiaDecember 9, 1929 · 188 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.63 km ESE of Sabang, IndonesiaJanuary 30, 1942 · 96 km NW 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 2,214 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1907M8.2
Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus
4 Jan 1907 · 284 km away
2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1936
N Sumatera: Tapanuli, Karo
9 Sep 1936 · 260 km away · intensity VIII
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1936M7.3
Banda Aceh,Lhok Sukon,Lhoksemawe
23 Aug 1936 · 166 km away · intensity VIII
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1837M7.3
Banda Atjeh
29 Sep 1837 · 34 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1935M6.5
Celebes Sea
25 Nov 1935 · 213 km away
tsunami
- 1816
Penang Island
1 May 1816 · 71 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.