Reviewed by USGSIndonesia31y ago
M6.9 earthquake 164 km WSW of Sinabang, Indonesia
Wednesday, November 8, 1995, 07:14:18 UTC · 1.833°N, 95.050°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 164 km WSW of Sinabang, Indonesia on Wednesday, November 8, 1995, 07:14:18 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on June 20, 1976.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- 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: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
338 kilotons of TNT
That is about 22 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 708 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
24 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and Nazca 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.0 on November 26, 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 124 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.2The 1907 Sumatra Earthquake and TsunamiJanuary 4, 1907 · 108 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5209 km WSW of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 21, 1969 · 61 km W of this epicenter
- 7.085 km SSE of Meulaboh, IndonesiaJune 20, 1976 · 224 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.928 km NNE of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 4, 1917 · 189 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.860 km W of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 1908 · 119 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8276 km WSW of Sinabang, IndonesiaSeptember 29, 1979 · 114 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.7171 km W of Meulaboh, IndonesiaDecember 9, 1929 · 261 km N of this epicenter
- 6.570 km SW of Meulaboh, IndonesiaAugust 21, 1967 · 217 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,188 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1907M8.2
Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus
4 Jan 1907 · 108 km away
2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1969M7.7
Off Nw Coast Sumatera
21 Nov 1969 · 58 km away
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
26 Apr 1861 · 288 km away
tsunami
- 1861M6.8
Sw. Sumatra
17 Jun 1861 · 288 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.