Reviewed by USGSIndonesia31y ago
M5.3 earthquake 28 km ESE of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia
Friday, October 6, 1995, 18:16:27 UTC · 2.107°S, 101.642°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 28 km ESE of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia on Friday, October 6, 1995, 18:16:27 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on October 6, 1995.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
179 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 75 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 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 252 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 · 152 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.676 km SSW of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaJune 3, 1909 · 84 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.573 km WSW of Bengkulu, IndonesiaJune 25, 1914 · 212 km S of this epicenter
- 7.478 km NNW of Curup, IndonesiaJune 8, 1943 · 102 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.061 km S of Bengkulu, IndonesiaApril 8, 1971 · 259 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8209 km SW of Padang, IndonesiaDecember 24, 1974 · 290 km W of this epicenter
- 6.85 km ENE of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaOctober 6, 1995 · 24 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 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 · 24 km away
84 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1914M7.6
Sumatera
25 Jun 1914 · 203 km away
20 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1979M6.6
S Sumatera
15 Dec 1979 · 178 km away
8 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1909M7.6
Sw Sumatra: Kerintji, Redjanglebong
3 Jun 1909 · 72 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1986M5.0
Sumatera: S, Hahat, Muaraenim
29 Jan 1986 · 284 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1833M8.3
Sumatra: Bengkulu
24 Nov 1833 · 134 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.