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Indonesia earthquakes in 1939

15 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more were located in Indonesia in 1939. The largest: M8.1 1939 Sulawesi Earthquake, Dec 22, 1939.

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

19381940

Map

Where every quake of 1939 was located in Indonesia. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Every quake of 1939

Magnitude 4.5 and up, newest first.

Month by month

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

MonthQuakesLargestWhere
January 193925.8147 km N of Ambon, Indonesia
February 193925.8106 km WNW of Pariaman, Indonesia
March 193915.790 km NW of Gorontalo, Indonesia
April 19390
May 193936.2122 km SSW of Abepura, Indonesia
June 193925.9144 km SSE of Nabire, Indonesia
July 193936.379 km SW of Abepura, Indonesia
August 19390
September 193915.9257 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia
October 19390
November 19390
December 193918.11939 Sulawesi Earthquake

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 1939

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.