Reviewed by USGSIndonesia21y ago
M4.7 earthquake 283 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Monday, February 7, 2005, 16:46:52 UTC · 4.149°N, 93.189°E
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 283 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia on Monday, February 7, 2005, 16:46:52 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on February 5, 2005.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 30 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
17 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Burma and Indian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.3 on February 13, 2005. 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 253 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.5209 km WSW of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 21, 1969 · 279 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.975 km WSW of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaAugust 23, 1936 · 209 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.95 km W of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaApril 2, 1964 · 279 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.968 km WSW of Sabang, IndonesiaApril 4, 1983 · 244 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7171 km W of Meulaboh, IndonesiaDecember 9, 1929 · 155 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7off the west coast of northern SumatraJanuary 1, 2005 · 144 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5253 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaNovember 21, 1907 · 266 km N of this epicenter
- 6.570 km SW of Meulaboh, IndonesiaAugust 21, 1967 · 283 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 9 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1936M7.3
Banda Aceh,Lhok Sukon,Lhoksemawe
23 Aug 1936 · 274 km away · intensity VIII
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1983M6.6
Sumatera: Banda Aceh
4 Apr 1983 · 244 km away · intensity VII
$1 million damage
- 1969M7.7
Off Nw Coast Sumatera
21 Nov 1969 · 276 km away
- 1955M7.3
Little Nicobar Island
17 May 1955 · 276 km away
tsunami
- 1949M6.7
Banda Aceh
9 May 1949 · 222 km away
tsunami
- 1935M6.5
Celebes Sea
25 Nov 1935 · 175 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.