Reviewed by USGSIndonesia89y ago
M7.7 earthquake 120 km NE of Palu, Indonesia
Thursday, May 19, 1938, 17:08:47 UTC · 0.045°S, 120.537°E
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 120 km NE of Palu, Indonesia on Thursday, May 19, 1938, 17:08:47 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on January 22, 1905.
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
5.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 355 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11,220 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
106 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Banda Sea plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 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 25 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8160 km W of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 22, 1905 · 141 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1156 km NW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 11, 1913 · 221 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0293 km SSE of Manuk Mangkaw, PhilippinesDecember 4, 1932 · 281 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8109 km WSW of Luwuk, IndonesiaMarch 17, 1909 · 195 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.730 km N of Luwuk, IndonesiaDecember 23, 1912 · 255 km E of this epicenter
- 6.628 km E of Poso, IndonesiaDecember 5, 1923 · 159 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5172 km ENE of Bontang, IndonesiaMay 14, 1921 · 195 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.554 km W of Poso, IndonesiaDecember 29, 1925 · 159 km S 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 67 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1927M6.2
Sulawesi: Donggala
1 Dec 1927 · 96 km away · intensity VII
50 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1938M7.7
Sulawesi Island
19 May 1938 · 0 km away · intensity IX
17 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1907
Sulawesi: Lemo, Colo, Anja, Olu Congko
30 Jul 1907 · 223 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1905M8.4
Minahassa Peninsula
22 Jan 1905 · 297 km away
- 1860
Sulawesi: Minahassa
Aug 1860 · 158 km away
tsunami
- 1871
Gorontalo
25 Aug 1871 · 280 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.