Reviewed by USGSIndonesia92y ago
M7.6 earthquake 212 km W of Pariaman, Indonesia
Saturday, December 28, 1935, 02:35:31 UTC · 0.278°S, 98.242°E
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 212 km W of Pariaman, Indonesia on Saturday, December 28, 1935, 02:35:31 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 30 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
3.8 megatons of TNT
That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
99 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.6 on January 2, 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 15 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.7214 km SW of Sibolga, IndonesiaMay 29, 1914 · 96 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.768 km SE of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 1, 1921 · 231 km N of this epicenter
- 6.563 km SSW of Padang, IndonesiaSeptember 22, 1918 · 244 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.410 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaJune 28, 1926 · 202 km E of this epicenter
- 6.2126 km SW of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 3, 1915 · 221 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.2251 km SSW of Singkil, IndonesiaOctober 29, 1913 · 122 km W of this epicenter
- 6.2247 km SSW of Singkil, IndonesiaFebruary 12, 1918 · 166 km W of this epicenter
- 6.1190 km SSW of Padangsidempuan, IndonesiaAugust 21, 1934 · 27 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,355 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 115 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 42 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 90 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1843M7.3
Sw. Sumatra
5 Jan 1843 · 200 km away · intensity XI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1935M7.9
N Sumatera: Batu I,Padang,Sibolga
28 Dec 1935 · 31 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926
Sumatra
5 Jul 1926 · 240 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.