Reviewed by USGSIndonesia20y ago
M4.8 earthquake 263 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia
Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 08:37:00 UTC · 0.015°S, 97.165°E
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 263 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia on Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 08:37:00 UTC, at a depth of 30.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on May 23, 2006.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
8 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 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on June 9, 2006. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.4Nias region, Indonesia20y ago · 16 km N of this epicenter
- 4.4287 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 32 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.4248 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 18 km N of this epicenter
- 4.5260 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 29 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.0256 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia20y ago · 18 km NW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 321 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 · 234 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 123 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1190 km SSW of Sibolga, IndonesiaNovember 17, 1984 · 99 km E of this epicenter
- 7.095 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaApril 1, 1998 · 240 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0122 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 8, 1946 · 222 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0102 km SW of Padangsidempuan, IndonesiaFebruary 4, 1971 · 189 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9181 km SW of Sibolga, IndonesiaDecember 4, 1974 · 88 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.989 km WSW of Singkil, IndonesiaMay 19, 2005 · 223 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,674 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2005M8.6
Sumatera: Sw
28 Mar 2005 · 234 km away
1,319 deaths$37 million damagetsunami
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 116 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 93 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 204 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1843M7.3
Sw. Sumatra
5 Jan 1843 · 192 km away · intensity XI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1935M7.9
N Sumatera: Batu I,Padang,Sibolga
28 Dec 1935 · 121 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.