Reviewed by USGSIndonesia85y ago
M7.1 earthquake 96 km SSW of Nabire, Indonesia
Tuesday, January 27, 1942, 13:29:11 UTC · 4.138°S, 135.102°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 96 km SSW of Nabire, Indonesia on Tuesday, January 27, 1942, 13:29:11 UTC, at a depth of 17.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on February 15, 1936.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 18 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
587 kilotons of TNT
That is about 39 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,230 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
3 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
18 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 22 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.736 km NNE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 134 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1152 km NNE of Tual, IndonesiaFebruary 15, 1936 · 199 km W of this epicenter
- 7.027 km NE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 123 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.86 km ENE of Nabire, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1915 · 102 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.6203 km WSW of Nabire, IndonesiaDecember 7, 1928 · 140 km W of this epicenter
- 6.5131 km NE of Nabire, IndonesiaMay 7, 1929 · 225 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km SSE of Biak, IndonesiaJuly 5, 1914 · 289 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.482 km S of Biak, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 265 km N 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. The most severe:
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 161 km away
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 134 km away
- 1915
Kaimana
23 May 1915 · 165 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.