Reviewed by USGSIndonesia18y ago
M5.3 earthquake 155 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia
Thursday, March 6, 2008, 03:36:14 UTC · 2.235°S, 99.791°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 155 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia on Thursday, March 6, 2008, 03:36:14 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on March 3, 2008.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 35 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
58 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
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 M4.6 on March 9, 2008. 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 436 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 · 124 km E of this epicenter
- 7.726 km S of Sijunjung, IndonesiaJune 9, 1943 · 192 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 277 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.676 km SSW of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaJune 3, 1909 · 164 km E of this epicenter
- 7.573 km WSW of Bengkulu, IndonesiaJune 25, 1914 · 285 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.478 km NNW of Curup, IndonesiaJune 8, 1943 · 275 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2164 km WSW of Sungai Penuh, IndonesiaFebruary 25, 2008 · 34 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,581 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 289 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 264 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1995M6.8
Sumatera, Jambi Province
6 Oct 1995 · 184 km away
84 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 2007M6.4
Sumatra: Southern
6 Mar 2007 · 209 km away · intensity VIII
67 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1914M7.6
Sumatera
25 Jun 1914 · 293 km away
20 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2004M5.1
Sumatra: Padangpanjang
16 Feb 2004 · 219 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.