Reviewed by USGSIndonesia91y ago
M7.1 earthquake 86 km WSW of Pangkalan Brandan, Indonesia
Saturday, September 19, 1936, 01:01:47 UTC · 3.681°N, 97.578°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 86 km WSW of Pangkalan Brandan, Indonesia on Saturday, September 19, 1936, 01:01:47 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.2 on January 4, 1907.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 20 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured 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
107 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Burma plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
20 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.2 on September 19, 1936. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 20 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.2The 1907 Sumatra Earthquake and TsunamiJanuary 4, 1907 · 253 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.040 km NE of Meulaboh, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1935 · 152 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.928 km NNE of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 4, 1917 · 160 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.860 km W of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1908 · 230 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.768 km SE of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 1, 1921 · 220 km S of this epicenter
- 6.327 km E of Meulaboh, IndonesiaSeptember 11, 1912 · 143 km W of this epicenter
- 6.2126 km SW of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 3, 1915 · 263 km S of this epicenter
- 6.195 km SW of Pangkalan Brandan, IndonesiaNovember 12, 1935 · 18 km S 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 2,205 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1907M8.2
Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus
4 Jan 1907 · 253 km away
2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1936
N Sumatera: Tapanuli, Karo
9 Sep 1936 · 22 km away · intensity VIII
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1843M7.3
Sw. Sumatra
5 Jan 1843 · 247 km away · intensity XI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1837M7.3
Banda Atjeh
29 Sep 1837 · 267 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1892
Sumatra: Padangsidimpuan, Lake Toba
17 May 1892 · 251 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
26 Apr 1861 · 298 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.