Reviewed by USGSIndonesia47y ago
M5.0 earthquake 82 km E of Biak, Indonesia
Friday, November 2, 1979, 19:20:48 UTC · 1.141°S, 136.818°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 82 km E of Biak, Indonesia on Friday, November 2, 1979, 19:20:48 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on November 1, 1979.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 33 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
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
79 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
33 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 144 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 · 94 km S of this epicenter
- 7.955 km S of Biak, IndonesiaSeptember 12, 1979 · 105 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 245 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.736 km NNE of Nabire, IndonesiaJanuary 13, 1916 · 250 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6138 km SW of Insrom, IndonesiaMay 27, 1947 · 216 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3195 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 2, 1947 · 114 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2250 km ESE of Biak, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1950 · 181 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.182 km SE of Biak, IndonesiaJune 22, 1957 · 69 km S 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 · 203 km away · intensity VII
250 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1979M7.9
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
12 Sep 1979 · 105 km away
115 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1957M7.3
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
22 Jun 1957 · 45 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen
26 May 1914 · 78 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1921
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Sentani
10 Oct 1921 · 255 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1916M8.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya
13 Jan 1916 · 226 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.