Magnitude 8.6 - NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA

2005 March 28 16:09:36 UTC

Earthquake Details

Magnitude8.6
Date-Time
Location 2.074°N, 97.013°E
Depth30 km (18.6 miles) set by location program
RegionNORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Distances
205 km (125 miles) WNW of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
245 km (155 miles) SW of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia
535 km (330 miles) WSW of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
1410 km (880 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
Location Uncertaintyhorizontal +/- 4 km (2.5 miles); depth fixed by location program
ParametersNST=289, Nph=289, Dmin=537 km, Rmss=0.76 sec, Gp= 25°,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=R
Source
  • USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event IDusweax
  • This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
  • Did you feel it? Report shaking and damage at your location. You can also view a map displaying accumulated data from your report and others.

Earthquake Summary

Small globe showing earthquakeSmall map showing earthquake

Earthquake Summary Poster

Felt Reports

At least 1000 people killed, 300 injured and 300 buildings destroyed on Nias; 100 people killed, many injured and several buildings damaged on Simeulue; 200 people killed in Kepulauan Banyak; 3 people killed, 40 injured and some damage in the Meulaboh area, Sumatra. A 3-meter tsunami damaged the port and airport on Simeulue. Tsunami runup heights as high as 2 meters were observed on the west coast of Nias and 1 meter at Singkil and Meulaboh, Sumatra. Felt (VI) at Banda Aceh and (V) at Medan. At least 10 people were killed during evacuation of the coast of Sri Lanka. Felt (IV) along the west coast of Malaysia; (IV) at Bangkok and (III) at Phuket, Thailand; (III) at Singapore; (III) at Male, Maldives. The quake was also felt in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India and in Sri Lanka. Tsunami wave heights (peak to trough) recorded from selected tide stations: about 40 cm on Panjang, Indonesia; about 25 cm at Colombo, Sri Lanka; 40 cm on Hanimadu, 18 cm at Male and 10 cm at Gan, Maldives. Initial observations indicate about 1 meter of subsidence on the coast of Kepulauan Banyak as well as 1 meter of uplift on the coast of Simeulue. Seiches were observed on ponds in West Bengal, India.

Earthquake Information for ASIA

Earthquake Information for INDONESIA

Earthquake Maps

Scientific & Technical Information

Tsunami Information

The earthquake locations and magnitudes cited in NOAA tsunami statements and bulletins are preliminary and are superseded by USGS locations and magnitudes computed using more extensive data sets.

NOAA Tsunami Bulletins for this Earthquake

General Tsunami Information

Additional Information