Reviewed by USGSIndonesia47y ago
M5.8 earthquake 54 km E of Biak, Indonesia
Thursday, November 1, 1979, 04:12:54 UTC · 1.134°S, 136.568°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 54 km E of Biak, Indonesia on Thursday, November 1, 1979, 04:12:54 UTC, at a depth of 26.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on October 17, 1979.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 26 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: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
8 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 16 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
89 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Birds Head and Caroline plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
26 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.0 on November 2, 1979. 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 141 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 · 103 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.955 km S of Biak, IndonesiaSeptember 12, 1979 · 84 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 268 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.736 km NNE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 238 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.65 km SW of Manokwari, IndonesiaApril 27, 1944 · 284 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6138 km SW of Insrom, IndonesiaMay 27, 1947 · 191 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3195 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 2, 1947 · 141 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2250 km ESE of Biak, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1950 · 205 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 365 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1864M7.8
Irian Jaya: Manokwari
23 May 1864 · 175 km away · intensity VII
250 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1979M7.9
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
12 Sep 1979 · 84 km away
115 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1957M7.3
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
22 Jun 1957 · 63 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen
26 May 1914 · 88 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1921
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani
10 Oct 1921 · 280 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 217 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.