Indonesia earthquakes

M6.4 earthquake 43 km SW of Labuan, Indonesia

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 43 km SW of Labuan, Indonesia on Mon, Mar 17, 1997, 3:05 PM GMT+7 (08:05 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.4 (Mwc, centroid moment), strong
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Mon, Mar 17, 1997, 3:05 PM GMT+7
UTC: 1997-03-17 08:05:48 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 6.614° S, 105.514° E
Region: Indonesia
Strongest shaking: VI, strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
6.4	Mwc, centroid moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
6.36	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
6.4	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary
6.14	Me, energy	Choy, USGS energy magnitude	Reviewed

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Some minor damage at Jakarta, Indonesia. Felt throughout western Jawa and in southern Sumatera, Indonesia.

From the USGS event page for usp0007yym. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 15.1% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.4 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Reverse (thrust)
Nodal plane 1: Strike 298°, dip 25°, rake 103°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 103°, dip 66°, rake 84°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.4 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes today Indonesia earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0007yym (also filed as choy19970317080548, gcmtc031797c, gcmt19970317080548, atlas19970317080549, iscgem1016775). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 3:59 AM UTC.