QuakeScout
Magnitude6.2

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia91y ago

M6.2 earthquake 109 km WSW of Pangkalan Brandan, Indonesia

Saturday, September 19, 1936, 06:30:24 UTC · 3.624°N, 97.380°E

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 109 km WSW of Pangkalan Brandan, Indonesia on Saturday, September 19, 1936, 06:30:24 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on September 19, 1936.

Magnitude
6.2
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

28 kilotons of TNT

That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 59 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

84 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

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 21 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.2The 1907 Sumatra Earthquake and TsunamiJanuary 4, 1907 · 231 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 7.186 km WSW of Pangkalan Brandan, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1936 · 23 km E of this epicenter
  3. 7.040 km NE of Meulaboh, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1935 · 137 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 6.928 km NNE of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 4, 1917 · 140 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 6.860 km W of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1908 · 208 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 6.768 km SE of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 1, 1921 · 221 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 6.327 km E of Meulaboh, IndonesiaSeptember 11, 1912 · 126 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 6.2126 km SW of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 3, 1915 · 253 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:

  1. 1907M8.2

    Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus

    4 Jan 1907 · 231 km away

    2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1936

    N Sumatera: Tapanuli, Karo

    9 Sep 1936 · 19 km away · intensity VIII

    17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  3. 1843M7.3

    Sw. Sumatra

    5 Jan 1843 · 246 km away · intensity XI

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  4. 1837M7.3

    Banda Atjeh

    29 Sep 1837 · 259 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 1892

    Sumatra: Padangsidimpuan, Lake Toba

    17 May 1892 · 267 km away · intensity VI

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  6. 1861M7.0

    Sw. Sumatra

    26 Apr 1861 · 292 km away

    tsunami

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

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