Reviewed by USGSIndonesia96y ago
M7.3 earthquake 161 km S of Bengkulu, Indonesia
Friday, September 25, 1931, 05:59:53 UTC · 5.263°S, 102.266°E
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 161 km S of Bengkulu, Indonesia on Friday, September 25, 1931, 05:59:53 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on June 25, 1914.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
1.5 megatons of TNT
That is about 102 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3,236 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
129 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 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 M5.9 on September 25, 1931. 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 22 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.573 km WSW of Bengkulu, IndonesiaJune 25, 1914 · 156 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0164 km SSW of Pagar Alam, IndonesiaFebruary 10, 1931 · 38 km E of this epicenter
- 6.769 km SSE of Bengkulu, IndonesiaApril 15, 1916 · 109 km N of this epicenter
- 6.7106 km S of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaJuly 1, 1926 · 271 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.7177 km SSW of Pagar Alam, IndonesiaOctober 22, 1925 · 64 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.668 km SSW of Pagar Alam, IndonesiaFebruary 14, 1931 · 112 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.5104 km WSW of Bengkulu, IndonesiaOctober 12, 1919 · 139 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 20 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1914M7.6
Sumatera
25 Jun 1914 · 157 km away
20 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1770M7.0
Sumatra:
1770 · 42 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1931M7.4
Sw. Sumatra
25 Sep 1931 · 61 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1818M7.0
Sumatra: Bengkulu
18 Mar 1818 · 164 km away · intensity IX
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1896M6.8
Sw. Sumatra, Java
10 Oct 1896 · 198 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.