Magnitude 7.2 - OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
2012 January 10 18:36:59 UTC
Earthquake Details
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
| Magnitude | 7.2 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 2.452°N, 93.209°E |
| Depth | 20.5 km (12.7 miles) |
| Region | OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA |
| Distances | 423 km (262 miles) SW of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia 537 km (333 miles) SW of Lhokseumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia 951 km (590 miles) W of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia 1789 km (1111 miles) WNW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia |
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 13.1 km (8.1 miles); depth +/- 4.8 km (3.0 miles) |
| Parameters | NST=440, Nph=453, Dmin=502.1 km, Rmss=0.96 sec, Gp= 18°, M-type="moment" magnitude from initial P wave (tsuboi method) (Mi/Mwp), Version=B |
| Source |
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| Event ID | usc0007ir5 |
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Earthquake Summary
Tectonic Summary
The January 10, 2012 earthquake off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, occurred as a result of strike-slip faulting within the oceanic lithosphere of the Indo-Australia plate, approximately 100 km to the southwest of the major subduction zone that defines the plate boundary between the Indo-Australia and Sunda plates offshore Sumatra. At the location of this earthquake, the Indo-Australia plate moves north-northeast with respect to the Sunda plate at a velocity of approximately 52 mm/yr.
While they are rare, large strike-slip earthquakes are not unprecedented in this region of the Indo-Australian plate. Since the massive M 9.1 earthquake that ruptured a 1300 km long segment of the Sumatran megathrust plate boundary in December of 2004, two Mw 6.2 strike-slip events have occurred within 50 km of the January 10 2012 event, on April 19 2006, and October 4 2007. These events seem to align with fabric of the sea floor in the diffuse boundary zone between the Indian and Australian plates.
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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The earthquake locations and magnitudes cited in NOAA tsunami statements and bulletins are preliminary and are superseded by USGS locations and magnitudes computed using more extensive data sets.
General Tsunami Information
- Preliminary Earthquake Report
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
