Reviewed by USGSIndonesia21y ago
M5.3 earthquake 276 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Wednesday, April 27, 2005, 03:45:32 UTC · 4.291°N, 93.174°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 276 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia on Wednesday, April 27, 2005, 03:45:32 UTC, at a depth of 13.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on April 10, 2005.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 14 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
23 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
14 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 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on May 15, 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 280 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 · 293 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2284 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaDecember 26, 2004 · 292 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0190 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaMay 17, 1955 · 292 km N of this epicenter
- 6.975 km WSW of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaAugust 23, 1936 · 202 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.95 km W of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaApril 2, 1964 · 272 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.968 km WSW of Sabang, IndonesiaApril 4, 1983 · 234 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7171 km W of Meulaboh, IndonesiaDecember 9, 1929 · 157 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7off the west coast of northern SumatraJanuary 1, 2005 · 132 km NW 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 · 263 km away · intensity VIII
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1983M6.6
Sumatera: Banda Aceh
4 Apr 1983 · 234 km away · intensity VII
$1 million damage
- 1969M7.7
Off Nw Coast Sumatera
21 Nov 1969 · 291 km away
- 1955M7.3
Little Nicobar Island
17 May 1955 · 262 km away
tsunami
- 1949M6.7
Banda Aceh
9 May 1949 · 217 km away
tsunami
- 1935M6.5
Celebes Sea
25 Nov 1935 · 163 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.