Reviewed by USGSIndonesia19y ago
M4.6 earthquake 159 km SW of Padang, Indonesia
Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 11:41:34 UTC · 1.935°S, 99.303°E
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 159 km SW of Padang, Indonesia on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 11:41:34 UTC, at a depth of 21.7 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on November 14, 2007.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 22 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
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
90 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
22 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on November 25, 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 372 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 · 187 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.726 km S of Sijunjung, IndonesiaJune 9, 1943 · 213 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 219 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.676 km SSW of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaJune 3, 1909 · 227 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1190 km SSW of Sibolga, IndonesiaNovember 17, 1984 · 276 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.095 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaApril 1, 1998 · 155 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0153 km SSW of Padang, IndonesiaSeptember 13, 2007 · 42 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0122 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 8, 1946 · 138 km N 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 2,518 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 226 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 260 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 218 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1995M6.8
Sumatera, Jambi Province
6 Oct 1995 · 237 km away
84 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 2007M6.4
Sumatra: Southern
6 Mar 2007 · 208 km away · intensity VIII
67 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 2006M5.8
Sumatera: Northern, Muarasipongi
17 Dec 2006 · 291 km away
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.