QuakeScout
Magnitude5.9

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia101y ago

M5.9 earthquake 250 km E of Nabire, Indonesia

Tuesday, October 26, 1926, 23:43:34 UTC · 3.039°S, 137.730°E

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 250 km E of Nabire, Indonesia on Tuesday, October 26, 1926, 23:43:34 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on October 26, 1926.

Magnitude
5.9
Moderate · mw
Depth
35 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

11 kilotons of TNT

That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

96 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Maoke and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

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 75 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 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. 8.21914 Biak EarthquakeMay 26, 1914 · 147 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 110 km NE of this epicenter
  3. 7.736 km NNE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 228 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.6158 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1926 · 168 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.027 km NE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 226 km W of this epicenter
  6. 6.9148 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 5, 1922 · 187 km N of this epicenter
  7. 6.86 km ENE of Nabire, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1915 · 243 km W of this epicenter
  8. 6.8221 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1921 · 107 km E of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1900M6.9

    Nw. Irian Jaya

    7 Oct 1900 · 274 km away

    5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami

  2. 1914M8.1

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen

    26 May 1914 · 160 km away · intensity IX

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1921

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani

    10 Oct 1921 · 144 km away · intensity VII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  4. 1916M8.1

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya

    13 Jan 1916 · 192 km away

  5. 1916M8.1

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya

    13 Jan 1916 · 248 km away

  6. 1926M7.9

    New Guinea: Irian Jaya

    26 Oct 1926 · 100 km away

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

Nearby trackers

Closest city pages