1977 Sumba earthquake (original) (raw)

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Earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia

1977 Sumba earthquake

1977 Sumba earthquake is located in Indonesia1977 Sumba earthquake
UTC time 1977-08-19 06:08:55
ISC event 694739
USGS-ANSS ComCat
Local date August 19, 1977 (1977-08-19)[1]
Local time 14:08
Magnitude 8.3 [1]
Depth 33 kilometres (21 mi)[2]
Epicenter 11°05′06″S 118°27′50″E / 11.085°S 118.464°E / -11.085; 118.464[2]
Type Normal
Areas affected IndonesiaAustralia
Total damage US$1.2 million[2]
Max. intensity MMI VI (Strong)
Tsunami Yes
Casualties ~180 killed 1,100+ injured

The 1977 Sumba earthquake (also called the Sumbawa earthquake) occurred approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi) south of Bima, Sumbawa, and beneath the Indian Ocean, at . With a moment magnitude of 8.3, the earthquake is notable for having an unusually great magnitude for a shock with a normal faulting focal mechanism.[3] The shock occurred near the southern section of the Sunda Trench where several other tsunami-generating earthquakes have occurred. The earthquake was at the time the largest outer-rise earthquake ever recorded in Indonesia, and aftershocks along the trench extended about 130 kilometres (81 mi) eastward and 110 kilometres (68 mi) westward from the epicenter.[4]

Although damage from the earthquake was limited to Indonesia, ground movement was reportedly felt as far afield as Albany in Australia, and the power supply was briefly cut in Port Hedland.[5] A tsunami was generated with observed run-up heights of up to 5.8 meters (19 ft) and inundation distances of up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) at several locations on Sumba and Sumbawa.[4][6] The combined number of victims from both the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia was at least 107 confirmed dead and several dozen others missing, presumed dead; several sources combine the two for a total casualty figure of approximately 180 deaths and 1,100 injuries.[4][7]

  1. ^ a b Utsu, T. R. (2002), "A List of Deadly Earthquakes in the World: 1500–2000", International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology, Part A, Volume 81A (First ed.), Academic Press, p. 708, ISBN 978-0-12-440652-0
  2. ^ a b c National Geophysical Data Center. "Significant Earthquake". Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  3. ^ Kopp, H. (2011). "The Java convergent margin: structure, seismogenisis and subduction processes". In Hall, Robert; Cottam, Michael A.; Wilson, Moyra E. J. (eds.). The SE Asian Gateway: History and Tectonics of the Australia—Asia Collision. Bath: Geological Society of London. pp. 111–138. ISBN 9781862393295.
  4. ^ a b c Gusman, A. R.; Tanioka, Y.; Matsumoto, H.; Iwasaki, S. (2009), "Analysis of the Tsunami Generated by the Great 1977 Sumba Earthquake that Occurred in Indonesia", Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 99 (4): 2169–2179, Bibcode:2009BuSSA..99.2169G, doi:10.1785/0120080324, archived from the original on 2015-09-23, retrieved 2014-06-08
  5. ^ "History's 'biggest' recorded quake". Canberra Times. AAP. 20 August 1977. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  6. ^ Yeats, R. (2012), Active Faults of the World, Cambridge University Press, p. 464, ISBN 978-0-521-19085-5
  7. ^ Soloviev, S. L.; Kim, K., eds. (1992). Catalog of Tsunamis in the Pacific, 1969-1982. Translated from Russian by Amerind Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. Moscow: Academy of Sciences of the USSR Soviet Geophysical Committee. pp. 109–110.

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