Reviewed by USGSIndonesia112y ago
M7.0 earthquake 27 km NE of Nabire, Indonesia
Thursday, January 13, 1916, 06:18:35 UTC · 3.206°S, 135.699°E
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 27 km NE of Nabire, Indonesia on Thursday, January 13, 1916, 06:18:35 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.2 on May 26, 1914.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 25 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
477 kilotons of TNT
That is about 32 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
22 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
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 200 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.7 on January 13, 1916. 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 3 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
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 250 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1864M7.8
Irian Jaya: Manokwari
23 May 1864 · 257 km away · intensity VII
250 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen
26 May 1914 · 206 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 41 km away
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 32 km away
- 1915M6.0
Nw. Irian Jaya
6 Nov 1915 · 248 km away
tsunami
- 1915
Kaimana
23 May 1915 · 228 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.