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Indonesia earthquakes in 1938

20 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more were located in Indonesia in 1938. The largest: M8.5 1938 Banda Sea Earthquake, Feb 2, 1938.

From the USGS catalog. Times are local to each quake.

19371939

Map

Where every quake of 1938 was located in Indonesia. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Every quake of 1938

Magnitude 4.5 and up, newest first.

Month by month

Counted by UTC date, which is how the catalog files them.

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 193816.263 km SSW of Bengkulu, Indonesia
February 193828.51938 Banda Sea Earthquake
March 19380
April 19380
May 193827.7120 km NE of Palu, Indonesia
June 193827.1170 km WNW of Ambon, Indonesia
July 193816.4150 km W of Pariaman, Indonesia
August 193856.4232 km SSW of Bengkulu, Indonesia
September 19380
October 193847.2182 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia
November 193816.5southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia
December 193826.3139 km SSE of Dompu, Indonesia

What this means

The catalog is only as complete as the instruments of the time. Worldwide coverage of magnitude 5 and up dates from the 1960s, and of 4.5 from the 1990s; earlier years hold the large quakes and the ones near a station, so a low count in an early year means fewer instruments, not a quiet earth.

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

Nearby

Indonesia nowWorldwide in 1938

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.