Reviewed by USGSIndonesia18y ago
M5.6 earthquake 36 km SSE of Sinabang, Indonesia
Monday, July 14, 2008, 04:44:51 UTC · 2.177°N, 96.518°E
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 36 km SSE of Sinabang, Indonesia on Monday, July 14, 2008, 04:44:51 UTC, at a depth of 24.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on June 25, 2008.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 24 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
29 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Burma plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
24 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on July 14, 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 583 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 9.12004 Sumatra - Andaman Islands EarthquakeDecember 26, 2004 · 138 km NW of this epicenter
- 8.678 km WSW of Singkil, IndonesiaMarch 28, 2005 · 66 km E of this epicenter
- 8.2The 1907 Sumatra Earthquake and TsunamiJanuary 4, 1907 · 123 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5209 km WSW of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 21, 1969 · 220 km W of this epicenter
- 7.450 km NW of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 2002 · 87 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.456 km NW of Sinabang, IndonesiaFebruary 20, 2008 · 90 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.1190 km SSW of Sibolga, IndonesiaNovember 17, 1984 · 277 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.186 km WSW of Pangkalan Brandan, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1936 · 205 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 20 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 232,383 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2004M9.1
Sumatra: Aceh: Off West Coast
26 Dec 2004 · 138 km away
227,899 deaths$10 billion damagetsunami
- 1907M8.2
Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus
4 Jan 1907 · 123 km away
2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2005M8.6
Sumatera: Sw
28 Mar 2005 · 66 km away
1,319 deaths$37 million damagetsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 292 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1936
N Sumatera: Tapanuli, Karo
9 Sep 1936 · 183 km away · intensity VIII
17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 2002M7.3
Sumatera: Simeulue
2 Nov 2002 · 87 km away
3 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.