Reviewed by USGSIndonesia92y ago
M7.0 earthquake 40 km NE of Meulaboh, Indonesia
Saturday, August 3, 1935, 01:10:05 UTC · 4.381°N, 96.406°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 40 km NE of Meulaboh, Indonesia on Saturday, August 3, 1935, 01:10:05 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.2 on January 4, 1907.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 25 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 kilotons of TNT
That is about 32 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
19 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
25 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 15 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 · 213 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.928 km NNE of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 4, 1917 · 187 km S of this epicenter
- 6.860 km W of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1908 · 213 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7171 km W of Meulaboh, IndonesiaDecember 9, 1929 · 204 km W of this epicenter
- 6.327 km E of Meulaboh, IndonesiaSeptember 11, 1912 · 26 km S of this epicenter
- 6.2184 km N of Bireun, IndonesiaMay 16, 1933 · 280 km N of this epicenter
- 6.159 km W of Kabanjahe, IndonesiaJuly 27, 1916 · 219 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.133 km SW of Sinabang, IndonesiaDecember 19, 1915 · 235 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,188 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1907M8.2
Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus
4 Jan 1907 · 213 km away
2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1837M7.3
Banda Atjeh
29 Sep 1837 · 132 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1935M6.5
Celebes Sea
25 Nov 1935 · 294 km away
tsunami
- 1816
Penang Island
1 May 1816 · 70 km away
tsunami
- 1885
Banda Atjeh
14 Dec 1885 · 179 km away
tsunami
- 1886
Koeta Radja (Atjeh)
31 Jan 1886 · 183 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.