1797 Sumatra earthquake
The 1797 Sumatra earthquake occurred at 22:00 local time on February 10.[1] It was the first in a series of great earthquakes that ruptured part of the Sumatran segment of the Sunda megathrust. It caused a damaging tsunami that was particularly severe near Padang, where a 150–200 t (330,000–440,000 lb) English ship was driven 1 km (0.62 mi) inland up the Arau River.
Background
The island of Sumatra lies on the convergent plate boundary between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The convergence between these plates is highly oblique near Sumatra, with the displacement being accommodated by near pure dip-slip faulting along the subduction zone, known as the Sunda megathrust, and near pure strike-slip faulting along the Great Sumatran fault. The major slip events on the subduction zone interface are typically of the megathrust type.[3]
Historically, great or giant megathrust earthquakes have been recorded in 1797, 1833, 1861, 2004, 2005 and 2007, most of them being associated with devastating tsunamis. Smaller (but still large) megathrust events have also occurred in the small gaps between the areas that slip during these larger events, in 1935, 1984, 2000 and 2002.[3]
Damage
The earthquake caused the collapse or damage of many houses. The tsunami surge drove an English sailing ship of 150–200 t (330,000–440,000 lb), moored in the Arau River, about 1 km (0.62 mi) inland, destroying several houses as it went. Smaller boats were driven up to 1.8 km (1.1 mi) upstream.[3] In Air Manis, the whole town was flooded and the bodies of several people who had climbed trees to escape the surge were found the next day in the branches. Only two fatalities were reported from Padang itself but many more from Air Manis. The Batu Islands were also reported to be affected.[3]
Characteristics
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Plate_setting_Sunda_megathrust.png/250px-Plate_setting_Sunda_megathrust.png)
Earthquake
The shaking at Padang lasted one minute. Reports in 1845 and 1847 said either that this was the strongest earthquake in the memory of the residents of Padang or the strongest for forty years.[3]
Tsunami
The run-up of the tsunami at Padang and the village of Air Manis is estimated to be in the range of 5–10 m (16–33 ft). Modelling of tsunami effects using source parameters estimated from the uplift of coral microatolls,[3] provide a reasonable match to the sparse historical records.[4]
The tsunami reports for this event are localised around Padang and it has been suggested that the tsunami may have been caused by an underwater landslide triggered by the earthquake.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b National Geophysical Data Center (1972). "Significant Earthquakes Information". World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ^ a b Martin, S. S.; Cummins, P. R.; Meltzner, A. J. (2022), "Gempa Nusantara: A Database of 7380 Macroseismic Observations for 1200 Historical Earthquakes in Indonesia from 1546 to 1950", Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 112 (6): 2958–2980, Bibcode:2022BuSSA.112.2958M, doi:10.1785/0120220047, hdl:10356/166257, ISSN 0037-1106, S2CID 253365854
- ^ a b c d e f Natawidjaja, D. H.; Sieh K.; Chlieh M.; Galetzka J.; Suwargadi B.W.; Cheng H.; Edwards R.L.; Avouac J.-P. & Ward S. N. (2006). "Source parameters of the great Sumatran megathrust earthquakes of 1797 and 1833 inferred from coral microatolls" (PDF). Journal of Geophysical Research. 111 (B06403): n/a. Bibcode:2006JGRB..111.6403N. doi:10.1029/2005JB004025. hdl:10220/8480.
- ^ Borrero, J.C.; Sieh K.; Chlieh, M. & Synolakis C.E. (December 26, 2006). "Tsunami inundation modeling for western Sumatra". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103 (52): 19673–7. Bibcode:2006PNAS..10319673B. doi:10.1073/pnas.0604069103. PMC 1750885. PMID 17170141.
- ^ Permana, H.; Singh S.C. & Research Team (2010). "Submarine mass movement and localized tsunami potentiality of Mentawai Basin, Sumatera, Indonesia". Retrieved 2011-06-01.
- v
- t
- e
- 1907 Sumatra
- 1909 Kerinci
- 1913 Sulawesi–Mindanao
- 1917 Bali
- 1926 Padang Panjang
- 1931 Southwest Sumatra
- 1933 Sumatra
- 1935 Sumatra
- 1938 Banda Sea
- 1943 Alahan Panjang
- 1943 Central Java
- 1965 Ceram Sea
- 1968 Sulawesi
- 1969 Sulawesi
- 1976 Papua
- 1976 Bali
- 1977 Sumba
- 1979 Yapen
- 1979 Bali
- 1981 Irian Jaya
- 1982 Flores
- 1984 Northern Sumatra
- 1989 Irian Jaya
- 1991 Kalabahi
- 1992 Flores
- 1994 Liwa
- 1994 Java
- 1995 Timor
- 1995 Kerinci
- 1996 Sulawesi
- 1996 Biak
- 1998 North Maluku
- 1999 Sunda Strait
- 2000 Banggai Islands
- 2000 Enggano
- April 2010 Sumatra
- May 2010 Northern Sumatra
- 2010 Papua
- 2010 Mentawai
- 2011 Aceh Singkil Regency
- 2012 Indian Ocean
- 2013 Aceh
- 2016 Mentawai
- 2016 Aceh
- 2017 Java
- 2018 West Java
- July 2018 Lombok
- 5 August 2018 Lombok
- 19 August 2018 Lombok
- 2018 Sulawesi
- 2018 East Java
- 2019 Lombok
- 2019 North Maluku
- 2019 Sunda Strait
- 2019 Ambon