Reviewed by USGSIndonesia20y ago
M5.2 earthquake 71 km W of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Sunday, February 26, 2006, 21:32:49 UTC · 5.609°N, 94.688°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 71 km W of Banda Aceh, Indonesia on Sunday, February 26, 2006, 21:32:49 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on January 1, 2006.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mwc
- 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
70 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Burma 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 75 km
USGS lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.0 on March 16, 2006. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.7126 km W of Banda Aceh, Indonesia20y ago · 61 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.080 km SW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia20y ago · 61 km S of this epicenter
- 4.2133 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia20y ago · 73 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.5108 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia20y ago · 64 km S of this epicenter
- 4.0109 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia20y ago · 62 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 573 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 9.12004 Sumatra - Andaman Islands EarthquakeDecember 26, 2004 · 295 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2284 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaDecember 26, 2004 · 240 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0190 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaMay 17, 1955 · 163 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.040 km NE of Meulaboh, IndonesiaAugust 3, 1935 · 234 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.975 km WSW of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaAugust 23, 1936 · 39 km S of this epicenter
- 6.95 km W of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaApril 2, 1964 · 66 km E of this epicenter
- 6.968 km WSW of Sabang, IndonesiaApril 4, 1983 · 13 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8238 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaJanuary 20, 1917 · 206 km NW 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 227,922 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2004M9.1
Sumatra: Aceh: Off West Coast
26 Dec 2004 · 295 km away
227,899 deaths$10 billion damagetsunami
- 1967M6.1
N Sumatera,Malay Peninsula
12 Apr 1967 · 289 km away
14 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Banda Aceh,Lhok Sukon,Lhoksemawe
23 Aug 1936 · 55 km away · intensity VIII
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1964M7.0
Banda Aceh
2 Apr 1964 · 117 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1837M7.3
Banda Atjeh
29 Sep 1837 · 146 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1983M6.6
Sumatera: Banda Aceh
4 Apr 1983 · 13 km away · intensity VII
$1 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.