QuakeScout
Magnitude6.1

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia89y ago

M6.1 earthquake 199 km NE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia

Tuesday, October 11, 1938, 00:08:01 UTC · 2.639°N, 126.352°E

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 199 km NE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia on Tuesday, October 11, 1938, 00:08:01 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on October 10, 1938.

Magnitude
6.1
Strong · mw
Depth
15 km
Shallow
Felt reports
0
Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking
—
No ShakeMap
PAGER alert
None
Not issued
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquake

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

24 kilotons of TNT

That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 50 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

66 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Birds Head and Sunda 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 65 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 181 km N of this epicenter
  2. 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 256 km S of this epicenter
  3. 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 229 km N of this epicenter
  4. 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 171 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 112 km N of this epicenter
  6. 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 254 km NE of this epicenter
  7. 7.3108 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 5, 1908 · 255 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.2182 km WNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1938 · 32 km SE of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,965 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1856

    Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)

    2 Mar 1856 · 149 km away

    2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1845M7.0

    N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon

    8 Feb 1845 · 211 km away · intensity IX

    118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1855

    Maluku: Ternate Island

    14 Jul 1855 · 230 km away · intensity IX

    34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  4. 1932M7.7

    Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano

    14 May 1932 · 256 km away · intensity VII

    7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1858M7.3

    N. Moluccas Islands

    13 Dec 1858 · 186 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1889M8.0

    N. Moluccas Islands

    6 Sep 1889 · 183 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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