QuakeScout
Magnitude7.2

Reviewed by USGSIndonesia16y ago

M7.2 earthquake 45 km SSW of Meulaboh, Indonesia

Sunday, May 9, 2010, 05:59:41 UTC · 3.748°N, 96.018°E

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 45 km SSW of Meulaboh, Indonesia on Sunday, May 9, 2010, 05:59:41 UTC, at a depth of 38.0 km (shallow). USGS received 227 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of V (moderate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on April 6, 2010.

Magnitude
7.2
Major · mwc
Depth
38 km
Shallow
Felt reports
227
Max intensity V
Est. shaking
VI
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

951 kilotons of TNT

That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

65 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

38 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.

PlaceIntensityReportsDistance
Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaIII · Weak49510 km
Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaIII · Weak20534 km
Butterworth, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaIII · Weak16517 km
Medan, Sumatera Utara, IndonesiaIV · Light14297 km
Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaII · Weak14636 km
Phuket, Phuket, ThailandIV · Light11527 km
Tanjong Bunga, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaIV · Light10510 km
Sungai Ara, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaIII · Weak10504 km
Banda Aceh, Aceh, IndonesiaV · Moderate8217 km
Tanjong Tokong, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaIII · Weak7513 km
Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaIII · Weak6528 km
Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, MalaysiaIV · Light5520 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 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.4 on June 3, 2010. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M5M6M71h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M7.2
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.557 km W of Sinabang, Indonesia16y ago · 142 km S of this epicenter
  2. 5.469 km SSW of Sigli, Indonesia16y ago · 117 km N of this epicenter
  3. 4.516 km S of Banda Aceh, Indonesia16y ago · 197 km N of this epicenter
  4. 4.6108 km SSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia16y ago · 145 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 5.477 km SSW of Meulaboh, Indonesia16y ago · 34 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 4.392 km NNW of Sinabang, Indonesia16y ago · 60 km S of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 635 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 9.12004 Sumatra - Andaman Islands EarthquakeDecember 26, 2004 · 51 km S of this epicenter
  2. 8.678 km WSW of Singkil, IndonesiaMarch 28, 2005 · 221 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 8.2The 1907 Sumatra Earthquake and TsunamiJanuary 4, 1907 · 130 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.875 km E of Sinabang, IndonesiaApril 6, 2010 · 190 km SE of this epicenter
  5. 7.5209 km WSW of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 21, 1969 · 251 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 7.450 km NW of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 2, 2002 · 103 km S of this epicenter
  7. 7.456 km NW of Sinabang, IndonesiaFebruary 20, 2008 · 109 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.186 km WSW of Pangkalan Brandan, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1936 · 173 km E of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 231,453 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 2004M9.1

    Sumatra: Aceh: Off West Coast

    26 Dec 2004 · 51 km away

    227,899 deaths$10 billion damagetsunami

  2. 1907M8.2

    Nw Sumatra: Gunungsitoli, Barus

    4 Jan 1907 · 130 km away

    2,188 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  3. 2005M8.6

    Sumatera: Sw

    28 Mar 2005 · 221 km away

    1,319 deaths$37 million damagetsunami

  4. 1936

    N Sumatera: Tapanuli, Karo

    9 Sep 1936 · 167 km away · intensity VIII

    17 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  5. 1967M6.1

    N Sumatera,Malay Peninsula

    12 Apr 1967 · 241 km away

    14 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1936M7.3

    Banda Aceh,Lhok Sukon,Lhoksemawe

    23 Aug 1936 · 300 km away · intensity VIII

    9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

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

Nearby trackers

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