How frequent are earthquakes in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi)?

Q: How frequent are earthquakes in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi)?

The area where this quake occurred has a high level of seismic activity. Based on data from the past 54 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 56 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi). It has had at least 5 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 20 to 25 years.

Very Strong Mag. 6.1 Earthquake - Indian Ocean, 165 km Southwest of Nias Island, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Tuesday, Apr 20, 2021, at 05:58 am (GMT +6) -

Contact | RSS | EN | DE | EL | ES | FR | IT | RU

Very strong mag. 6.1 earthquake - Indian Ocean, 165 km southwest of Nias Island, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Monday, 19 April 2021 at 23:58 (GMT)

A very strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean 138 km (86 mi) from Indonesia in the early morning of Tuesday, Apr 20, 2021 at 5.58 am local time (GMT +6). The quake had a very shallow depth of 16 km (10 mi) and was reported felt by some people near the epicenter.

Very strong mag. 6.1 Earthquake - Indian Ocean, 165 km southwest of Nias Island, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Tuesday, Apr 20, 2021, at 05:58 am (GMT +6)

Very strong magnitude 6.1 earthquake at 16 km depth

20 Apr 00:10 UTC: First to report: GFZ after 12 minutes.
20 Apr 00:07: Magnitude recalculated from 5.8 to 5.9. Epicenter location corrected by 3.5 km (2.2 mi) towards SSW.
20 Apr 00:10: Now using data updates from BMKG
20 Apr 00:15: Magnitude recalculated from 5.7 to 6.1. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.0 to 16.0 km (from 6.2 to 9.9 mi).

Earthquake details

Date & time	Apr 19, 2021 23:58:22 UTC
Local time at epicenter	Tuesday, Apr 20, 2021, at 05:58 am (GMT +6)
Status	Preliminary (automatic detection)
Magnitude	6.1
Depth	16 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude	0.17°N / 96.48°E Indian Ocean, Indonesia
Seismic antipode	0.17°S / 83.52°W
Shaking intensity	VI Strong shaking near epicenter
Felt	1 report
Primary data source	BMKG (Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia)
Nearest volcano	###NEARESTVOLCANO2###
Weather at epicenter at time of quake	Scattered Clouds 28°C (82 F), humidity: 72%, wind: 2 m/s (4 kts) from NNE
Estimated seismic energy released	8.9 x 10¹³ joules (24.8 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 21301 tons of TNT or 1.3 atomic bombs!) \| about seismic energy

[smaller] [bigger]

Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in Bali

Nearby places

The closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Sinabang, a town with 15,000 inhabitants in Indonesia, in 257 km (160 mi) distance north of the epicenter. People likely experienced light shaking there.
The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.

Distance	Place	Max. shaking intensity(*)	Region	Country
257 km (160 mi) N of epicenter	Sinabang (pop: 15,000)	IV: Light	Aceh	Indonesia
277 km (172 mi) NE of epicenter	Singkil (pop: 46,800)	IV: Light	Aceh	Indonesia
310 km (193 mi) NE of epicenter	Sibolga (pop: 79,700)	III: Weak	North Sumatra	Indonesia
338 km (210 mi) NE of epicenter	Padangsidempuan (pop: 100,600)	III: Weak	North Sumatra	Indonesia
423 km (263 mi) NE of epicenter	Pematangsiantar (pop: 209,600)	III: Weak	North Sumatra	Indonesia
430 km (267 mi) NE of epicenter	Rantauprapat (pop: 103,000)	III: Weak	North Sumatra	Indonesia
442 km (275 mi) NE of epicenter	Binjai (pop: 228,800)	III: Weak	North Sumatra	Indonesia
447 km (278 mi) NE of epicenter	Sunggal (pop: 157,900)	III: Weak	North Sumatra	Indonesia
451 km (280 mi) NE of epicenter	Medan (pop: 1,751,000)	III: Weak	North Sumatra	Indonesia
467 km (290 mi) NE of epicenter	Percut (pop: 311,100)	III: Weak	North Sumatra	Indonesia

Notes:
(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.

User-reports for this quake (2)

We received 2 reports for this quake.

User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.

Translate

En lima / not felt

Padang / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

What is Intensity and the Mercalli Intensity Scale?

The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.
Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.
Read more about the MMI scale!

Compare Quake Data

Data for the same earthquake as reported by different agencies

The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.

Mag	Depth	Time GMT 2021-04-19	Epicenter	Agency
6.1	16 km 9.9 mi	23:58:22	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	BMKG (Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia)
6.0	30 km 19 mi	23:58:25	NIAS REGION, INDONESIA 13 km (8.3 mi) epicenter difference with BMKG	EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)
5.9	10 km 6.2 mi (*)	23:58:23	Near Medan, Indonesia 28 km (17 mi) epicenter difference with BMKG	RENASS (Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS))
6.0	10 km 6.2 mi (*)	23:58:22	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 5.7 km (3.5 mi) epicenter difference with BMKG	GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)
6.1	9 km 5.6 mi	23:58:22	255 Km S of Sinabang, Indonesia 9.2 km (5.7 mi) epicenter difference with BMKG	USGS (United States Geological Survey)
6.1	18 km 11 mi	23:58:24	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 16 km (9.7 mi) epicenter difference with BMKG	GeoAu (Geoscience Australia )
5.9	10 km 6.2 mi (*)	23:58:22	印尼苏门答腊岛西部海域, Indonesia 16 km (10 mi) epicenter difference with BMKG	CEIC (China Earthquake Networks Center)
6.1	20 km 12 mi	23:58:25	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatera, Indonesia [Sea: Indonesia] 16 km (10 mi) epicenter difference with BMKG	INGV (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia)

Notes:
(*) A depth given as 10 km often means that the the depth of the quake could not determined with sufficient accuracy.

Seismograms

Seismic station: West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands (COCO/II network) | Distance from quake: 1375 km / 854 mi | Show on map | Station Info

Seismic station West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands: vertical movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismogram (vertical component) around time of quake. Thin dotted red line indicates time of quake. Seismic waves arrive some time later, depending on distance. Bandpass filter applied: 0.02-5.0 Hz. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Show less

Seismic station West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands: horizontal (E-W) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismic station West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands: horizontal (N-S) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismograms around time of quake, showing horizontal E-W and N-S ground movements. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Seismic station: Pallekele, Sri Lanka (PALK/II network) | Distance from quake: 1920 km / 1193 mi | Show on map | Station Info

Seismic station Pallekele, Sri Lanka: vertical movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismogram (vertical component) around time of quake. Thin dotted red line indicates time of quake. Seismic waves arrive some time later, depending on distance. Bandpass filter applied: 0.02-2.0 Hz. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Seismic station Pallekele, Sri Lanka: horizontal (E-W) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismic station Pallekele, Sri Lanka: horizontal (N-S) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismograms around time of quake.
Top: vertical movement, bottom: horizontal (E-W and N-S) movements. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Seismic station: Qiongzhong, Hainan Province, China (QIZ/IC network) | Distance from quake: 2554 km / 1587 mi | Show on map | Station Info

Seismic station Qiongzhong, Hainan Province, China: vertical movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismogram (vertical component) around time of quake. Thin dotted red line indicates time of quake. Seismic waves arrive some time later, depending on distance. Bandpass filter applied: 0.02-2.0 Hz. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Seismic station Qiongzhong, Hainan Province, China: horizontal (E-W) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismic station Qiongzhong, Hainan Province, China: horizontal (N-S) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismograms around time of quake.
Top: vertical movement, bottom: horizontal (E-W and N-S) movements. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Seismic station: Po Shan, Hong Kong (HKPS/HK network) | Distance from quake: 3115 km / 1935 mi | Show on map | Station Info

Seismic station Po Shan, Hong Kong: vertical movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismogram (vertical component) around time of quake. Thin dotted red line indicates time of quake. Seismic waves arrive some time later, depending on distance. Bandpass filter applied: 0.02-2.0 Hz. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Seismic station Po Shan, Hong Kong: horizontal (E-W) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismic station Po Shan, Hong Kong: horizontal (N-S) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismograms around time of quake.
Top: vertical movement, bottom: horizontal (E-W and N-S) movements. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Seismic station: Taipei, Taiwan (TATO/IU network) | Distance from quake: 3852 km / 2394 mi | Show on map | Station Info

Seismic station Taipei, Taiwan: vertical movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismogram (vertical component) around time of quake. Thin dotted red line indicates time of quake. Seismic waves arrive some time later, depending on distance. Bandpass filter applied: 0.02-2.0 Hz. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

Seismic station Taipei, Taiwan: horizontal (E-W) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismic station Taipei, Taiwan: horizontal (N-S) movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)

Seismograms around time of quake.
Top: vertical movement, bottom: horizontal (E-W and N-S) movements. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool

48 aftershocks for this quake

For this earthquake, 48 aftershocks have been detected so far. The strongest was a magnitude 4.0 quake that hit 2 hours and 25 minutes after the mainshock in 7 km (4.4 mi) distance, in Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, on Tuesday, Apr 20, 2021 on 08:23 am (- local time GMT +6).
The most recent aftershock occurred 3 years ago Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra and had a magnitude of 4.0.

What are aftershocks?

Larger earthquakes (above magnitude 5 or so) such as this one are usually followed by smaller ones known as aftershocks that occur in the same area during the days, weeks, months or even years after the main shock.

[More info]

What about this quake?

Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake likely ruptured beneath a surface of approx. 126 km² (=49 sqare miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 19 km (12 mi).

[More info]

Recorded aftershocks, latest first (48 quakes)

Date and Time GMT	Mag Depth	Distance	Region	Details
Jul 10, 2021 06:26 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 12 weeks after main shock	4.0 10 km	8.5 km (5.3 mi) NE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
Jun 25, 2021 05:19 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 9 weeks after main shock	3.6 10 km	22 km (14 mi) SE of main shock	Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Jun 25, 2021 05:10 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 9 weeks after main shock	3.3 10 km	24 km (15 mi) SE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
Jun 17, 2021 07:57 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 8 weeks after main shock	3.4 10 km	19 km (12 mi) E of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
Jun 8, 2021 01:03 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 7 weeks after main shock	3.6 13 km	12 km (7.7 mi) SW of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
Jun 5, 2021 08:14 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 7 weeks after main shock	3.9 10 km	21 km (13 mi) N of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
Jun 5, 2021 06:06 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 7 weeks after main shock	4.9 10 km	9.6 km (5.9 mi) SE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 31, 2021 06:16 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 6 weeks after main shock	4.2 19 km	19 km (12 mi) NE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 31, 2021 05:47 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 6 weeks after main shock	4.1 10 km	24 km (15 mi) SE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 31, 2021 01:13 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 6 weeks after main shock	4.1 22 km	4.6 km (2.8 mi) E of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 30, 2021 05:48 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 6 weeks after main shock	4.0 10 km	15 km (9.3 mi) NE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 28, 2021 07:08 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 5 weeks after main shock	4.6 17 km	2.5 km (1.5 mi) NW of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 26, 2021 03:00 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 5 weeks after main shock	3.8 18 km	21 km (13 mi) E of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 25, 2021 04:16 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 5 weeks after main shock	3.8 16 km	18 km (10.9 mi) SE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 24, 2021 10:10 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 5 weeks after main shock	3.6 10 km	20 km (13 mi) E of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 24, 2021 08:17 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 5 weeks after main shock	3.8 12 km	21 km (13 mi) E of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 23, 2021 08:01 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 5 weeks after main shock	2.9 25 km	15 km (9 mi) N of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 21, 2021 05:16 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	3.6 10 km	20 km (13 mi) S of main shock	Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 20, 2021 09:23 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	3.5 10 km	19 km (12 mi) S of main shock	Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 20, 2021 06:05 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	4.0 10 km	17 km (10.4 mi) E of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 20, 2021 05:47 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	4.3 28 km	23 km (14 mi) NE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 19, 2021 03:17 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	4.5 10 km	12 km (7.3 mi) SW of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 17, 2021 06:21 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	5.3 13 km	5.6 km (3.5 mi) SE of main shock	Indonesia: Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	More
May 15, 2021 11:47 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	4.0 10 km	10.6 km (6.6 mi) S of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 15, 2021 11:04 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	3.9 20 km	10.5 km (6.5 mi) SE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 15, 2021 02:42 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	3.9 10 km	7.1 km (4.4 mi) SW of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 15, 2021 02:29 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	3.4 12 km	15 km (9.1 mi) S of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 15, 2021 02:25 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	3.1 14 km	20 km (13 mi) NE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 15, 2021 12:51 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 weeks after main shock	4.7 10 km	17 km (10.8 mi) SE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 14, 2021 03:48 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 3 weeks after main shock	4.5 48 km	13 km (8.1 mi) SE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 14, 2021 03:16 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 3 weeks after main shock	5.2 10 km	19 km (12 mi) S of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 14, 2021 02:10 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 3 weeks after main shock	4.0 10 km	18 km (10.9 mi) E of main shock	Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 14, 2021 01:53 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 3 weeks after main shock	3.9 10 km	11 km (7.1 mi) SE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 14, 2021 01:32 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 3 weeks after main shock	3.9 21 km	10.5 km (6.5 mi) SE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 14, 2021 01:27 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 3 weeks after main shock	4.0 24 km	15 km (9.2 mi) S of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 14, 2021 01:16 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 3 weeks after main shock	5.0 10 km	15 km (9.6 mi) E of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 14, 2021 12:33 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago - felt 3 weeks after main shock	6.7 10 km	20 km (12 mi) E of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
May 3, 2021 08:11 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 14 days after main shock	4.6 24 km	18 km (10.9 mi) NE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 28, 2021 09:23 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 8 days after main shock	3.9 10 km	11 km (6.9 mi) E of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 27, 2021 09:31 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 8 days after main shock	3.6 61 km	24 km (15 mi) NE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 25, 2021 06:19 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 5 days after main shock	4.1 68 km	19 km (12 mi) SW of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 25, 2021 05:35 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 5 days after main shock	4.4 10 km	8.7 km (5.4 mi) SW of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 24, 2021 05:04 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 4 days after main shock	4.3 10 km	18 km (11 mi) E of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 21, 2021 07:34 pm (GMT +6) 3 years ago 1 day 14 hours after main shock	3.3 26 km	21 km (13 mi) E of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 21, 2021 08:00 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 1 day 2 hours after main shock	3.5 10 km	11 km (6.8 mi) NE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 21, 2021 01:36 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 20 hours after main shock	3.3 15 km	11 km (7.1 mi) SW of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 20, 2021 08:23 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 2 hours and 25 minutes after main shock	4.0 10 km	7 km (4.4 mi) S of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 20, 2021 08:07 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago 2 hours and 9 minutes after main shock	3.6 10 km	16 km (9.8 mi) NE of main shock	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	More
Apr 20, 2021 05:58 am (GMT +6) 3 years ago	6.1 16 km	0 km - This quake	Indian Ocean, 165 km SW of Nias Island, North Sumatra, Indonesia Main Shock (this quake)	More

Show all

Map of aftershocks

Earthquake statistics

Average number of earthquakes

Based on data from the past 54 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 56 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):

Mag. 6 or higher: 0.04 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 25 years)
Mag. 5 or higher: 0.87 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 1.1 years)
Mag. 4 or higher: 24.5 quakes per year
Mag. 3 or higher: 52 quakes per year (or 4.3 quakes per month)
Mag. 2 or higher: 54 quakes per year (or 4.5 quakes per month)

The area where this quake occurred has a high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 5 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 20 to 25 years.

Number of quakes per year

Previous quakes in the same area of this earthquake

Strongest in 11 years

The earthquake was the strongest to hit this part of Indonesia in over 11 years. Earlier, the last quake of equal or greater strength near the present epicenter had been a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Wednesday, Apr 7, 2010, at 05:15 am local time (Asia/Pontianak GMT +7) in 254 km (158 mi) distance to the north:

Mag. 7.8 earthquake northern Sumatra - Indonesia - Apr 7, 2010 -

The strongest-ever (since 1900) recorded quake in this area measured magnitude 8.6. It had occurred 19 years ago earlier, on Monday, Mar 28, 2005, at 11:09 pm local time (Asia/Pontianak GMT +7) in Aceh,

Indonesia:

Mag. 8.6 earthquake Kabupaten Aceh Singkil - Aceh, Indonesia - Mar 28, 2005 -

Below is a list and map of (larger or recent) quakes that had occurred near the area of the epicenter before this earthquake (within up to 100 km/61 mi distance, up to 300 km/183 mi for very large quakes above mag. 7). Filter the list to limit the number to show, by magnitude or time before.

Date and Time	Mag Depth	Distance	Location	Details
Apr 14, 2021 04:55 pm (GMT +6)	5.5 10 km	19 km (12 mi) to the E	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 1 report	Info
Jan 17, 2021 08:59 pm (GMT +7)	4.4 19 km	65 km (40 mi) to the NE	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia	Info
Sep 21, 2020 05:00 am (GMT +6)	4.9 10 km	99 km (62 mi) to the NW	461 km southwest of Medan, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia	Info
Sep 13, 2020 02:47 am (GMT +6)	4.0 10 km	62 km (39 mi) to the SE	1297 km northwest of Jakarta, Indonesia	Info
Sep 4, 2020 09:05 pm (GMT +7)	4.4 44 km	52 km (32 mi) to the NE	399 km southwest of Medan, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia	Info
Dec 16, 2019 02:59 am (GMT +6)	4.8 31 km	27 km (17 mi) to the N	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra (Indonesia)	Info
Dec 5, 2018 05:37 am (GMT +7)	4.8 10 km	63 km (39 mi) to the E	NIAS REGION, INDONESIA	Info
Nov 30, 2018 09:44 am (GMT +7)	4.8 10 km	73 km (45 mi) to the E	NIAS REGION, INDONESIA	Info
Nov 30, 2018 03:21 am (GMT +7)	5.7 10 km	66 km (41 mi) to the E	Northern Sumatra, Indonesia 3 reports	Info
Sep 6, 2018 07:13 am (GMT +7)	5.3 10 km	75 km (47 mi) to the NE	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	Info
Mar 3, 2018 03:03 am (GMT +6)	5.0 10 km	49 km (31 mi) to the SE	Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia	Info
Jan 26, 2017 07:50 pm (GMT +6)	4.8 10 km	72 km (45 mi) to the S	Southwest Of Sumatra, Indonesia	Info
Nov 8, 2015 07:38 am (GMT +6)	4.8 10 km	69 km (43 mi) to the SE	Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia	Info
Jul 27, 2015 06:55 am (GMT +7)	4.9 30 km	62 km (38 mi) to the E	Indian Ocean, 256 km southwest of Sibolga, North Sumatra, Indonesia	Info
Mar 5, 2015 07:07 am (GMT +7)	5.2 10 km	53 km (33 mi) to the E	Off West Coast of Northern Sumatra	Info
Dec 7, 2013 12:49 am (GMT +6)	4.9 30 km	86 km (53 mi) to the S	southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia	Info
Sep 16, 2012 11:17 pm (GMT +7)	4.8 16 km	59 km (36 mi) to the NE	222 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia	Info
Jun 7, 2012 01:27 am (GMT +7)	4.8 39 km	60 km (37 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Dec 22, 2011 07:21 pm (Universal Time)	5.0 26 km	84 km (52 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Jul 21, 2011 01:48 pm (GMT +7)	4.8 26 km	58 km (36 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Apr 7, 2010 05:15 am (Pontianak)	7.8 31 km	254 km (158 mi) to the N	northern Sumatra, Indonesia	Info
Aug 23, 2009 02:20 pm (GMT +7)	5.4 35 km	56 km (35 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Feb 20, 2008 08:08 am (Universal Time)	7.4 26 km	295 km (183 mi) to the N	Simeulue, Indonesia	Info
Feb 14, 2007 08:46 pm (Universal Time)	5.4 4.7 km	99 km (61 mi) to the NE	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Feb 14, 2007 07:49 pm (Universal Time)	5.7 16 km	97 km (60 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Sep 3, 2006 11:20 pm (GMT +7)	5.4 49 km	78 km (48 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
May 16, 2006 10:28 pm (GMT +7)	6.8 12 km	64 km (40 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Apr 25, 2005 08:18 pm (Universal Time)	5.6 36 km	91 km (57 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Mar 29, 2005 11:50 am (GMT +7)	5.5 36 km	68 km (43 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Mar 29, 2005 06:13 am (GMT +7)	5.7 39 km	63 km (39 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Mar 28, 2005 11:09 pm (Pontianak)	8.6 30 km	224 km (139 mi) to the N	Kabupaten Aceh Singkil, 79 km west of Singkil, Aceh, Indonesia	Info
Dec 26, 2004 08:53 am (GMT +6)	5.4 30 km	64 km (40 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Nov 2, 2002 01:26 am (Universal Time)	7.4 30 km	298 km (185 mi) to the N	Simeulue, Indonesia	Info
Nov 17, 1984 01:49 pm (Jakarta)	7.1 33 km	172 km (107 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Dec 30, 1980 10:48 pm (GMT +7)	5.4 33 km	92 km (57 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Feb 4, 1971 10:33 pm (Jakarta)	7.0 30 km	254 km (158 mi) to the E	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Mar 31, 1963 11:28 pm (GMT +6)	5.6 19 km	51 km (32 mi) to the N	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Mar 26, 1963 05:46 am (GMT +7)	5.7 18 km	65 km (40 mi) to the N	Nias region, Indonesia	Info
Dec 28, 1935 02:35 am (Universal Time)	7.6 30 km	202 km (126 mi) to the E	Kepulauan Batu, Indonesia	Info
Feb 12, 1918 09:00 am (GMT +6)	6.2 15 km	42 km (26 mi) to the E	247 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia	Info
Oct 29, 1913 11:32 am (GMT +7)	6.2 25 km	81 km (51 mi) to the E	251 km SSW of Singkil, Indonesia	Info

Map of earlier quakes in the area of this quake

[smaller] [bigger]

Map to embed or share

Try our free app!

Android | iOS version

Why is there advertising on this site?

Support us - Help us upgrade our services!

We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world. Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources.
We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team. We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated. If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please make a donation (PayPal or Online credit card payment).

Planned features:

Improved multilanguage support
Tsunami alerts
Faster responsiveness

Thanks to your past donations, these features have been added recently:

Design upgrade
Detailed quake stats
Additional seismic data sources

Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online:
Android | IOS

Thank you!

Sources: VolcanoDiscovery / VolcanoAdventures and other sources as noted.
Use of material: Most text and images on our websites are owned by us. Re-use is generally not permitted without authorization. Contact us for licensing rights.

Volcanoes & Earthquakes