Reviewed by USGSIndonesia110y ago
M6.9 earthquake 28 km NNE of Sinabang, Indonesia
Sunday, November 4, 1917, 12:03:34 UTC · 2.705°N, 96.513°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 28 km NNE of Sinabang, Indonesia on Sunday, November 4, 1917, 12:03:34 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.2 on January 4, 1907.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
374 kilotons of TNT
That is about 25 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 785 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
24 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Burma plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.2The 1907 Sumatra Earthquake and TsunamiJanuary 4, 1907 · 109 km W of this epicenter
- 6.860 km W of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1908 · 76 km W of this epicenter
- 6.7214 km SW of Sibolga, IndonesiaMay 29, 1914 · 297 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.327 km E of Meulaboh, IndonesiaSeptember 11, 1912 · 162 km N of this epicenter
- 6.2126 km SW of Singkil, IndonesiaApril 3, 1915 · 164 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.159 km W of Kabanjahe, IndonesiaJuly 27, 1916 · 169 km E of this epicenter
- 6.133 km SW of Sinabang, IndonesiaDecember 19, 1915 · 62 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 2,188 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1907M8.2
Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus
4 Jan 1907 · 109 km away
2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1843M7.3
Sw. Sumatra
5 Jan 1843 · 213 km away · intensity XI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
26 Apr 1861 · 219 km away
tsunami
- 1852M6.8
Sumatra: Sibolga
11 Nov 1852 · 213 km away
tsunami
- 1861M6.8
Sw. Sumatra
17 Jun 1861 · 219 km away
tsunami
- 1816
Penang Island
1 May 1816 · 255 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.