Reviewed by USGSIndonesia31y ago
M6.8 earthquake 5 km ENE of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia
Friday, October 6, 1995, 18:09:45 UTC · 2.045°S, 101.436°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 5 km ENE of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia on Friday, October 6, 1995, 18:09:45 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on December 24, 1974.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 33 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: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
106 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Andes and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 100 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.3 on October 6, 1995. 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 236 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.726 km S of Sijunjung, IndonesiaJune 9, 1943 · 135 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.676 km SSW of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaJune 3, 1909 · 79 km S of this epicenter
- 7.573 km WSW of Bengkulu, IndonesiaJune 25, 1914 · 220 km S of this epicenter
- 7.478 km NNW of Curup, IndonesiaJune 8, 1943 · 122 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.061 km S of Bengkulu, IndonesiaApril 8, 1971 · 273 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8209 km SW of Padang, IndonesiaDecember 24, 1974 · 268 km W of this epicenter
- 6.743 km ESE of Sijunjung, IndonesiaMay 21, 1967 · 128 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 112 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1995M6.8
Sumatera, Jambi Province
6 Oct 1995 · 0 km away
84 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1914M7.6
Sumatera
25 Jun 1914 · 213 km away
20 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1979M6.6
S Sumatera
15 Dec 1979 · 199 km away
8 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1909M7.6
Sw Sumatra: Kerintji, Redjanglebong
3 Jun 1909 · 49 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1833M8.3
Sumatra: Bengkulu
24 Nov 1833 · 116 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1926M6.6
Sumatera
28 Jun 1926 · 234 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.