UTC time | 1909-06-03 18:40:43 |
---|---|
ISC event | 16958038 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | June 4, 1909 |
Local time | 01:40 WIB |
Magnitude | 7.6 Mw |
Depth | 35 km (22 mi) |
Epicenter | 2°00′S101°00′E / 2.0°S 101.0°E |
Fault | Great Sumatran fault |
Type | Strike-slip |
Areas affected | Dutch East Indies |
Casualties | 195–200 fatalities |
The 1909 Kerinci earthquake struck Sumatra, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) on June 4 at 01:40 WIB. The shock measured Mw 7.6 and occurred along the Great Sumatran fault. [1] Damage was extensive and great around the Kerinci area; many homes collapsed and roads were damaged. The death toll stood at between 195 and 230.
The Sunda megathrust off the west coast of Sumatra is a 5,500 km (3,400 mi) [2] long convergent boundary where the Australian Plate subducts beneath the Burma Plate and Sunda Plate at a rate of 60 mm (2.4 in) per year. [3] Convergence along the plate boundary is highly oblique, severely deforming the overriding Sunda Plate, where it is accommodated by strike-slip motion along the Great Sumatran fault. The Great Sumatran fault is a 1,900 km (1,200 mi)-long strike-slip fault system located on Sumatra. The fault is divided into about 20 segments. [4] Earthquakes associated with segments of the fault occurred 1933, 1943, 1994, 1995 and 2022. [5]
The earthquake had an epicenter near the Suliti and Siulak segments. It was associated with rupture along the 70 km (43 mi) Siulak segment of the Great Sumatran fault. The Siulak segment also ruptured during the Mw 6.7 earthquake of 1995. [5]
Damage to roads, houses, rice barns and other buildings was extensive along the Siulak segment. The official government reported 195 people died, 4,384 buildings destroyed and 7,261 buildings badly damaged. [6] At Dusun Lolo, few homes remained intact; irrigation channels at Lempur flooded. A road between Sebukar and Semerah was offset by 12 m (39 ft). Another road between Jujun and Lolo was offset by 3 m (9.8 ft). Land subsidence occurred at Sungai Full, Semurup, Siulak Deras and Lubuk Nagodang. The rice fields from Sebukar to Seleman subsided and were submerged under water. Hamlets at Semurup subsided and residents had to evacuate. Subsidence at Lake Kerinci caused water to flood homes. [7] Building collapses triggered fires. [8]
Widespread landslides affected a river and changed its course. Some tributaries of the Siulak River dried. Landslides at Lake Kerinci buried many areas of rice fields. At Lolo Kecil, a small lake appeared. The hot springs at Semurup widened by 20 m (66 ft) while new hot springs emerged. [7]
Stone buildings cracked and tilted; pillars fractured but did not fall at Padang. In Solok, homes cracked and frightened residents ran outside. At Jambi and Bajunglentjin, shutters rattled, lamps swayed and furniture shook. On Pandang Island, the lighthouse buzzed and oil splashed from a reservoir. Shaking was felt at Pajakumbuh, Pakanbaru, Djebus, Tandjungpinang and Palembang. In Singapore, residents were awaken by vibrations and creaking noises. A rumble was heard and some frightened residents fled to the streets. [8]
Residents constructed tents on the edges of their rice fields. There was insufficient tents to accommodate the homeless and the soil where these tents were constructed above were damp and harbored diseases. In response the Dutch East Indies government built huts which were leveled above the ground. [7] They also used funds from the home affairs department to repair damaged buildings.
The 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake occurred on 28 March off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia in the subduction zone of the Sunda megathrust. At least 915 people were killed, mostly on the island of Nias. It was the third most powerful earthquake since 1965 in Indonesia with a magnitude of 8.6 that caused a relatively small tsunami. Damage ranged from hundreds of buildings being destroyed in Nias to widespread power outages throughout the island of Sumatra. Following the mainshock, eight major aftershocks occurred ranging from 5.5 to 6.0 magnitudes.
The Great Sumatran fault, also known as Semangko fault, is a large strike-slip fault running the entire length of the island of Sumatra. This Indonesian island is located in a highly seismic area of the world, including a subduction zone off the west coast of the island.
At 23:28 local time on June 4, 2000, southern Sumatra, Indonesia was struck by an earthquake of moment magnitude 7.9 with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). The event occurred off the coast near Enggano Island. There were more than 100 fatalities and up to 2,585 injuries. Over 730 aftershocks shook the area afterwards, one just eleven minutes after the mainshock.
The 1833 Sumatra earthquake occurred on November 25 at about 22:00 local time, with an estimated magnitude in the range of 8.8–9.2 Mw . It caused a large tsunami that flooded the southwestern coast of the island. There are no reliable records of the loss of life, with the casualties being described only as 'numerous'. The magnitude of this event has been estimated using records of uplift taken from coral microatolls.
The Sunda megathrust is a fault that extends approximately 5,500 km (3300 mi) from Myanmar (Burma) in the north, running along the southwestern side of Sumatra, to the south of Java and Bali before terminating near Australia. It is a megathrust, located at a convergent plate boundary where it forms the interface between the overriding Eurasian Plate and the subducting Indo-Australian Plate. It is one of the most seismogenic structures on Earth, being responsible for many great and giant earthquakes, including the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed over 227,000 people. The Sunda megathrust can be divided into the Andaman Megathrust, Sumatra(n) Megathrust and Java(n) Megathrust. The Bali-Sumbawa segment is much less active and therefore does not have the "megathrust" term associated with it.
The 1797 Sumatra earthquake occurred at 22:00 local time on February 10. It was the first in a series of great earthquakes that ruptured part of the Sumatran segment of the Sunda megathrust. It caused a damaging tsunami that was particularly severe near Padang, where a 150–200 t (330,000–440,000 lb) English ship was driven 1 km (0.62 mi) inland up the Arau River.
The 1861 Sumatra earthquake occurred on 16 February and was the last in a sequences of earthquakes that ruptured adjacent parts of the Sumatran segment of the Sunda megathrust. It caused a devastating tsunami which led to several thousand fatalities. The earthquake was felt as far away as the Malay peninsula and the eastern part of Java. The rupture area for the 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake is similar to that estimated for the 1861 event.
The 1984 Northern Sumatra earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 7.2 on November 17 at 06:49 UTC. The epicentre was located off the coast of Sumatra, near the island of Nias, where building damage was reported. This earthquake could be strongly felt in parts of Northern Sumatra, including Padang and Medan. The focal mechanism corresponded to reverse faulting.
The 1935 Sumatra earthquake occurred at 09:35 local time on 28 December. It had a magnitude of Mw 7.7 and a maximum felt intensity of VII (Damaging) on the European macroseismic scale. It triggered a minor tsunami.
The 2002 Sumatra earthquake occurred at 01:26 UTC on 2 November. It had a magnitude of 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale with an epicenter just north of Simeulue island and caused three deaths. This earthquake is regarded as a foreshock of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had an epicenter about 60 km to the northwest.
The 1943 Alahan Panjang earthquakes occurred on June 8 and June 9 UTC in Sumatra, then under Japanese occupation. This was an earthquake doublet.
The 1994 Liwa earthquake occurred on 16 February at 00:07 local time. It was located in southern Sumatra, Indonesia. The magnitude of the earthquake was put at Mw 6.9, Mw 7.0, or Ms 7.2, according to different sources.
On February 20, 2008, an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 7.4 struck off the coast of Sumatra at a hypocentre depth of 26 km. The earthquake had an epicenter located on the island of Simeulue, northwest from Sinabang, a small town on the island. Three people were killed and an additional 25 seriously injured as a result of the earthquake.
The 1995 Kerinci earthquake struck near Sungai Penuh in Jambi Province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It earthquake occurred at 01:18 WIB local time on October 7. The earthquake measured 6.7 Mw on the moment magnitude scale, and 6.9–7.0 Ms on the surface-wave magnitude scale. Between 84 and possibly even 100 people were killed in the earthquake. An extimated 4,000 buildings collapsed or were seriously damaged while a further 5,000 suffered some damage.
West Sumatra, Dutch East Indies was struck by an earthquake doublet on June 28, 1926. The first earthquake occurred at 10:23 local time, with an estimated magnitude of 6.7 on the surface wave magnitude scale with an intensity of IX (Violent) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Less than three hours later, a second earthquake occurred with a magnitude of 6.4 Ms although it appears to have been less damaging. Three hundred and fifty-four people were killed during the first earthquake, with later shocks killing a total of 57 according to local records.
An earthquake occurred 112 km, offshore, north of Maumere in the Flores Sea on 14 December. The quake had a moment magnitude of 7.3 according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). One person was killed and 173 others suffered injuries.
The 1843 Nias earthquake off the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia caused severe damage when it triggered a tsunami along the coastline. The earthquake with a moment magnitude (Mw ) of 7.8 lasted nine minutes, collapsing many homes in Sumatra and Nias. It was assigned a maximum modified Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme).
On 25 February 2022 at 08:39 WIB, a moment magnitude (Mw ) 6.2 earthquake struck West Sumatra, Indonesia at a depth of 4.0 km (2.5 mi). Preceded by one foreshock and followed by over 200 aftershocks, the mainshock had an epicenter at the foot of Mount Talakmau in Pasaman Regency. The mainshock was the result of strike-slip faulting along a previously unidentified segment of the Great Sumatran Fault. At least 27 people died, 457 were injured, and 19,221 others were displaced. It inflicted 780 million Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) worth of damage. The heaviest damage was recorded at three villages around Mount Talakmau. Landslides and flash floods caused additional damage and casualties.
The 1933 Sumatra earthquake or Liwa earthquake occurred in West Lampung Regency, Lampung Province, Indonesia on June 25. The earthquake had an estimated surface-wave magnitude (Ms ) of 7.7 occurring at a shallow depth of 20 km. It had an epicenter onshore, devastating the city of Liwa. At least 788 people were reported killed, although the death toll may have been in the thousands. Aftershocks followed, including one which was strong enough to cause additional fatalities. The mainshock also triggered a nearby volcanic eruption two weeks later, killing some people.
Danny Hilman Natawidjaja is an Indonesian geologist specializing in earthquake geology and geotectonics at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Research Center for Geotechnology.