Reviewed by USGSIndonesia89y ago
M6.4 earthquake 150 km W of Pariaman, Indonesia
Friday, July 29, 1938, 13:06:39 UTC · 0.525°S, 98.767°E
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 150 km W of Pariaman, Indonesia on Friday, July 29, 1938, 13:06:39 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on January 2, 1936.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
69 kilotons of TNT
That is about 5 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 145 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
18 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and North Andes plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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 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 29 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 65 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.7214 km SW of Sibolga, IndonesiaMay 29, 1914 · 160 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.768 km SE of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 1, 1921 · 267 km N of this epicenter
- 6.6142 km WNW of Pariaman, IndonesiaJanuary 2, 1936 · 51 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.563 km SSW of Padang, IndonesiaSeptember 22, 1918 · 180 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.410 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaJune 28, 1926 · 140 km E of this epicenter
- 6.4266 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaNovember 28, 1937 · 124 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.397 km NW of Bukittinggi, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1936 · 139 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,355 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 150 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 104 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 64 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909M7.6
Sw Sumatra: Kerintji, Redjanglebong
3 Jun 1909 · 298 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1843M7.3
Sw. Sumatra
5 Jan 1843 · 241 km away · intensity XI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1833M8.3
Sumatra: Bengkulu
24 Nov 1833 · 292 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.