Reviewed by USGSIndonesia21y ago
M5.0 earthquake 211 km SSW of Sibolga, Indonesia
Sunday, September 25, 2005, 15:37:08 UTC · 0.068°N, 97.867°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 211 km SSW of Sibolga, Indonesia on Sunday, September 25, 2005, 15:37:08 UTC, at a depth of 28.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on September 7, 2005.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 28 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
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
81 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
28 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 September 30, 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 376 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.678 km WSW of Singkil, IndonesiaMarch 28, 2005 · 240 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 57 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1190 km SSW of Sibolga, IndonesiaNovember 17, 1984 · 23 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.095 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaApril 1, 1998 · 169 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0122 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 8, 1946 · 156 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0102 km SW of Padangsidempuan, IndonesiaFebruary 4, 1971 · 115 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9181 km SW of Sibolga, IndonesiaDecember 4, 1974 · 36 km N of this epicenter
- 6.989 km WSW of Singkil, IndonesiaMay 19, 2005 · 233 km NW 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 3,676 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2005M8.6
Sumatera: Sw
28 Mar 2005 · 240 km away
1,319 deaths$37 million damagetsunami
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 126 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 16 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 126 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1987M6.6
Sumatera: N, Tarutung-Lake Toba,
25 Apr 1987 · 266 km away
2 deaths$1 million damage
- 1843M7.3
Sw. Sumatra
5 Jan 1843 · 160 km away · intensity XI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.