Reviewed by USGSIndonesia83y ago
M7.6 earthquake 5 km SW of Manokwari, Indonesia
Thursday, April 27, 1944, 14:38:12 UTC · 0.901°S, 134.028°E
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 5 km SW of Manokwari, Indonesia on Thursday, April 27, 1944, 14:38:12 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Major · 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured 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
105 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Birds Head and Caroline 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on April 27, 1944. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 20 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.061 km ENE of Sorong, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1927 · 257 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0141 km ENE of Sorong, IndonesiaNovember 9, 1930 · 189 km W of this epicenter
- 6.868 km W of Manokwari, IndonesiaJuly 19, 1934 · 65 km W of this epicenter
- 6.866 km W of Manokwari, IndonesiaApril 5, 1937 · 63 km W of this epicenter
- 6.842 km NW of Manokwari, IndonesiaApril 26, 1944 · 42 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5161 km WNW of Manokwari, IndonesiaSeptember 12, 1941 · 159 km W of this epicenter
- 6.4212 km SW of Manokwari, IndonesiaMay 17, 1924 · 207 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.482 km S of Biak, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 243 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 3 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 · 109 km away · intensity VII
250 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 285 km away
- 1915M6.0
Nw. Irian Jaya
6 Nov 1915 · 220 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.