Reviewed by USGSIndonesia101y ago
M5.8 earthquake 77 km SSW of Abepura, Indonesia
Wednesday, October 27, 1926, 19:57:17 UTC · 3.185°S, 140.260°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 77 km SSW of Abepura, Indonesia on Wednesday, October 27, 1926, 19:57:17 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on October 27, 1926.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- 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
7 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 15 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
43 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
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 22 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 204 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6158 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1926 · 118 km W of this epicenter
- 7.593 km SW of Aitape, Papua New GuineaJuly 29, 1917 · 173 km E of this epicenter
- 7.073 km ENE of Vanimo, Papua New GuineaDecember 15, 1907 · 202 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.825 km NNW of Jayapura, IndonesiaDecember 31, 1911 · 108 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8221 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1921 · 175 km W of this epicenter
- 6.8179 km WNW of Abepura, IndonesiaFebruary 19, 1921 · 178 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.7154 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1926 · 120 km W 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:
- 1900M6.9
Nw. Irian Jaya
7 Oct 1900 · 95 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1907M7.4
Bismarck Sea
15 Dec 1907 · 249 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1921
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani
10 Oct 1921 · 190 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1919
Irian Jaya Region
21 Nov 1919 · 89 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1926M7.9
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
26 Oct 1926 · 198 km away
- 1917M7.5
Papua New Guinea
29 Jul 1917 · 173 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.