QuakeScout
Magnitude3.8

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia28y ago

M3.8 earthquake 173 km WSW of Pariaman, Indonesia

Saturday, April 4, 1998, 17:13:40 UTC · 1.044°S, 98.615°E

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 173 km WSW of Pariaman, Indonesia on Saturday, April 4, 1998, 17:13:40 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
3.8
Minor · 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

8 tons of TNT

That is about 1/1,992 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 63 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

39 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and North Andes 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 50 km

USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 194 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.726 km S of Sijunjung, IndonesiaJune 9, 1943 · 258 km E of this epicenter
  2. 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 95 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 7.1190 km SSW of Sibolga, IndonesiaNovember 17, 1984 · 153 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 7.095 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaApril 1, 1998 · 91 km NE of this epicenter
  5. 7.0122 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 8, 1946 · 57 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.0102 km SW of Padangsidempuan, IndonesiaFebruary 4, 1971 · 186 km N of this epicenter
  7. 6.9181 km SW of Sibolga, IndonesiaDecember 4, 1974 · 181 km NW of this epicenter
  8. 6.8209 km SW of Padang, IndonesiaDecember 24, 1974 · 148 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,355 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1861M8.5

    Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I

    16 Feb 1861 · 124 km away · intensity IX

    1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  2. 1861M7.0

    Sw. Sumatra

    9 Mar 1861 · 136 km away

    950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  3. 1797M8.0

    Sw. Sumatra

    10 Feb 1797 · 124 km away · intensity IX

    300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1909M7.6

    Sw Sumatra: Kerintji, Redjanglebong

    3 Jun 1909 · 286 km away

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1843M7.3

    Sw. Sumatra

    5 Jan 1843 · 291 km away · intensity XI

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1833M8.3

    Sumatra: Bengkulu

    24 Nov 1833 · 265 km away · intensity IX

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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