Reviewed by USGSIndonesia91y ago
M6.9 earthquake 75 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Sunday, August 23, 1936, 21:12:15 UTC · 5.260°N, 94.714°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 75 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia on Sunday, August 23, 1936, 21:12:15 UTC, at a depth of 50.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on August 3, 1935.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 50 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
374 kilotons of TNT
That is about 25 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 785 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
94 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Burma plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
50 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 16 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.040 km NE of Meulaboh, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1935 · 211 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.8238 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaJanuary 20, 1917 · 239 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.7171 km W of Meulaboh, IndonesiaDecember 9, 1929 · 126 km S of this epicenter
- 6.6249 km NW of Sabang, IndonesiaMarch 5, 1921 · 266 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5253 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaNovember 21, 1907 · 227 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.327 km E of Meulaboh, IndonesiaSeptember 11, 1912 · 221 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3184 km W of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaNovember 25, 1935 · 122 km W of this epicenter
- 6.2184 km N of Bireun, IndonesiaMay 16, 1933 · 295 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 9 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1936M7.3
Banda Aceh,Lhok Sukon,Lhoksemawe
23 Aug 1936 · 93 km away · intensity VIII
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1837M7.3
Banda Atjeh
29 Sep 1837 · 145 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1847
Little Nicobar Island
31 Oct 1847 · 258 km away · intensity X
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1935M6.5
Celebes Sea
25 Nov 1935 · 83 km away
tsunami
- 1816
Penang Island
1 May 1816 · 200 km away
tsunami
- 1885
Banda Atjeh
14 Dec 1885 · 72 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.