Reviewed by USGSIndonesia20y ago
M4.2 earthquake 159 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia
Sunday, February 26, 2006, 11:35:32 UTC · 0.917°N, 97.354°E
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 159 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia on Sunday, February 26, 2006, 11:35:32 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.2
- 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
30 tons of TNT
That is about 1/500 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 16 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
75 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
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 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on March 8, 2006. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.6159 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 16 km W of this epicenter
- 4.8149 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 32 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.1169 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 12 km S of this epicenter
- 4.5170 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 15 km SE of this epicenter
- 3.9155 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 17 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.4146 km SW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 48 km NW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 424 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 · 133 km N of this epicenter
- 8.2The 1907 Sumatra Earthquake and TsunamiJanuary 4, 1907 · 282 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 166 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.450 km NW of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 2002 · 255 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.1190 km SSW of Sibolga, IndonesiaNovember 17, 1984 · 110 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.085 km SSE of Meulaboh, IndonesiaJune 20, 1976 · 299 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.095 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaApril 1, 1998 · 267 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0122 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 8, 1946 · 261 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 20 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,891 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1907M8.2
Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus
4 Jan 1907 · 282 km away
2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2005M8.6
Sumatera: Sw
28 Mar 2005 · 133 km away
1,319 deaths$37 million damagetsunami
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 214 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 124 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 209 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936
N Sumatera: Tapanuli, Karo
9 Sep 1936 · 288 km away · intensity VIII
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.