Reviewed by USGSIndonesia101y ago
M6.7 earthquake 154 km W of Abepura, Indonesia
Tuesday, October 26, 1926, 06:11:33 UTC · 2.774°S, 139.256°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 154 km W of Abepura, Indonesia on Tuesday, October 26, 1926, 06:11:33 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on October 26, 1926.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
175 kilotons of TNT
That is about 12 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 367 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
29 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Woodlark and Maoke 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 100 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on October 26, 1926. 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 18 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.21914 Biak EarthquakeMay 26, 1914 · 272 km W of this epicenter
- 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 83 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6158 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1926 · 12 km S of this epicenter
- 7.593 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1917 · 293 km E of this epicenter
- 7.073 km ENE of Vanimo, Papua New GuineaDecember 15, 1907 · 297 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9148 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 5, 1922 · 257 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.825 km NNW of Jayapura, IndonesiaDecember 31, 1911 · 165 km E of this epicenter
- 6.8221 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1921 · 70 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1900M6.9
Nw. Irian Jaya
7 Oct 1900 · 159 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1914M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen
26 May 1914 · 278 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1921
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani
10 Oct 1921 · 73 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1919
Irian Jaya Region
21 Nov 1919 · 168 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1926M7.9
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
26 Oct 1926 · 116 km away
- 1917M7.5
Papua New Guinea
29 Jul 1917 · 293 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.