Reviewed by USGSIndonesia19y ago
M5.8 earthquake 126 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia
Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 19:56:47 UTC · 1.996°S, 99.896°E
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 126 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia on Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 19:56:47 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on October 10, 2007.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
8 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 16 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
84 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
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 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.8 on November 14, 2007. 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 383 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.987 km SW of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaSeptember 12, 2007 · 126 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.726 km S of Sijunjung, IndonesiaJune 9, 1943 · 165 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 265 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.676 km SSW of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaJune 3, 1909 · 164 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.573 km WSW of Bengkulu, IndonesiaJune 25, 1914 · 296 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.478 km NNW of Curup, IndonesiaJune 8, 1943 · 272 km E of this epicenter
- 7.095 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaApril 1, 1998 · 176 km NW of this epicenter
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 1,568 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 288 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 243 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1995M6.8
Sumatera, Jambi Province
6 Oct 1995 · 171 km away
84 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 2007M6.4
Sumatra: Southern
6 Mar 2007 · 180 km away · intensity VIII
67 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 2006M5.8
Sumatera: Northern, Muarasipongi
17 Dec 2006 · 292 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 2004M5.1
Sumatra: Padangpanjang
16 Feb 2004 · 190 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.