1938 Banda Sea earthquake
  | |
| UTC time | 1938-02-01 19:04:23 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 902352 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | February 2, 1938 |
| Local time | 04:04 |
| Magnitude | 8.5–8.6 Mw [1][2][3][4] |
| Depth | 60 km (37 mi) [1][2] |
| Epicenter | 5°03′S 131°37′E / 5.05°S 131.62°E [5] |
| Type | Oblique-slip[2] |
| Max. intensity | RFS VII (Very strong tremor)[6] |
| Tsunami | Yes |
| Casualties | None |
The 1938 Banda Sea earthquake occurred on February 2 with an estimated magnitude of 8.5–8.6 on the moment magnitude scale and a Rossi–Forel intensity of VII (Very strong tremor). This oblique-slip event generated destructive tsunamis of up to 1.5 metres in the Banda Sea region, but there were no deaths.
Tectonic setting
The Banda Sea is located within a very complex tectonic regime that accommodates the convergence between the Australian Plate and the Sunda Plate. The Molucca Sea Plate, Bird's Head Plate, Timor Plate, and Banda Sea Plate all help accommodate the elaborate plate boundary system in the region.[7][8] This collection of microplates leads to large amounts of seismicity in the area, including the 1852 Banda Sea earthquake which was potentially a Mw 8.8 event, as well as the 1629 Banda Sea earthquake which was also estimated at up to Mw 8.8.[9][10][11]
Earthquake
At around 04:00 local time, a large earthquake started to shake the Banda islands. With a moment magnitude (Mw ) of 8.5–8.6, the earthquake caused a destructive tsunami of 1 meter at the Kai islands.[2][3][4] The tsunami expected for an earthquake of this size is much greater, such as of those in 1629 and 1852, however this earthquake occurred at a depth of 60km which impeded much of the ocean floor displacement which leads to a tsunami.[2] This earthquake is of significant scientific interest as it remains a mystery as to precisely which fault produced this earthquake. Some studies consider this earthquake the largest intraslab earthquake we know of.[3]
Tsunami
Despite being a large thrust faulting event, the tsunami was rather small. This is assumed to be caused by the 60 kilometer depth. At the Kai islands, runups of 1 meter were recorded.[2] Beachfront damage was reported across the Tayandu Islands and the entire Banda region.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b ISC (27 June 2022), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), Version 9.1, International Seismological Centre
- ^
- ^ S2CID 211729349. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ . Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ISBN 978-0124406520.
- doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
- S2CID 131074367.
- S2CID 9127133. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- S2CID 131107365. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- S2CID 222066748. Retrieved 14 August 2022.)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Bibcode:2011AGUFMNH13B1376M. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.
 | This article about an earthquake in Asia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |