M7.9 earthquake 87 km SW of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia

Wednesday, September 12, 2007, 23:49:03 UTC · 2.625°S, 100.841°E

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck 87 km SW of Sungai Penuh, Indonesia on Wednesday, September 12, 2007, 23:49:03 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). USGS received 230 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VIII (severe). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.4 on September 12, 2007.

Magnitude: 7.9; Major · mwc
Depth: 35 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 230; Max intensity VIII
Est. shaking: VII; Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

11 megatons of TNT

That is about 709 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22,387 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

54 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Andes and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

35 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
Singapore, _no region, Singapore	III · Weak	130	549 km
Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	III · Weak	39	647 km
Pekan Baru, Riau, Indonesia	IV · Light	10	359 km
Duri, Riau, Indonesia	III · Weak	10	432 km
Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia	II · Weak	7	773 km
Kuala Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia	II · Weak	6	663 km
Padang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia	VIII · Severe	5	196 km
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia	IV · Light	4	639 km
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia	II · Weak	3	635 km
Curup, Bengkulu, Indonesia	VI · Strong	2	211 km
Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia	III · Weak	2	558 km
Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia	II · Weak	2	644 km

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 200 km

USGS lists 229 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.0 on September 13, 2007. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 434 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 313 recorded deaths. The most severe:

2000M7.9
Sumatra: Bengkulu, Enggano
4 Jun 2000 · 271 km away · intensity VI
103 deaths$6 million damage
1995M6.8
Sumatera, Jambi Province
6 Oct 1995 · 92 km away
84 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
2007M6.4
Sumatra: Southern
6 Mar 2007 · 240 km away · intensity VIII
67 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
2007M8.4
Sumatra
12 Sep 2007 · 210 km away
25 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1914M7.6
Sumatera
25 Jun 1914 · 181 km away
20 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
1979M6.6
S Sumatera
15 Dec 1979 · 221 km away
8 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers