Reviewed by USGSIndonesia20y ago
M5.9 earthquake 294 km SSW of Singaparna, Indonesia
Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 13:58:56 UTC · 9.902°S, 107.346°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 294 km SSW of Singaparna, Indonesia on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 13:58:56 UTC, at a depth of 12.0 km (shallow). USGS received 9 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of V (moderate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on July 17, 2006.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mwb
- Depth
- 12 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 9
- Max intensity V
- 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
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
3 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
12 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia | III · Weak | 3 | 332 km |
| The Settlement, Christmas Island, External Territories of Australia | V · Moderate | 1 | 189 km |
| Karratha, Western Australia, Australia | III · Weak | 1 | 1575 km |
| Garut, Jawa Barat, Indonesia | II · Weak | 1 | 304 km |
| Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia | I · Not felt | 1 | 415 km |
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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on October 6, 2006. 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 249 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7226 km SSW of Singaparna, IndonesiaJuly 17, 2006 · 69 km N of this epicenter
- 6.9south of Java, IndonesiaJuly 24, 1979 · 144 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5260 km SSW of Kroya, IndonesiaSeptember 7, 1974 · 111 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3136 km S of Kawalu, IndonesiaSeptember 14, 1944 · 163 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.3south of Java, IndonesiaMarch 21, 1940 · 53 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.2166 km SSW of Bambanglipuro, IndonesiaAugust 31, 1918 · 283 km E of this epicenter
- 6.2187 km S of Banjar, IndonesiaMay 12, 1957 · 113 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,045 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2006M7.7
Java
17 Jul 2006 · 69 km away
802 deaths$55 million damagetsunami
- 1943M8.1
Java: Jogyakarta
23 Jul 1943 · 294 km away · intensity VIII
213 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1979M6.1
Java
2 Nov 1979 · 269 km away
30 deaths$16 million damage
- 1980M5.8
Java: Tasikmalaja
16 Apr 1980 · 257 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1903M8.1
S Of Java
27 Feb 1903 · 258 km away
- 1957
S. Java Sea
26 Sep 1957 · 189 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.