Origin time 05:59:30 UTC Depth 20 km (12 mi) Total damage $4.2 million | Magnitude 8.2 Mw Type Thrust | |
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Date February 17, 1996 (1996-02-17) | ||
The 1996 Biak earthquake, or the 1996 Irian Jaya earthquake, occurred on February 17 at 14:59:30 local time near Biak Island, Indonesia. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 8.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The run-up height of the generated tsunami reached 7 meters (23 ft). One-hundred and sixty-six people were reported dead, 423 were injured, and 5,090 were made homeless.
This earthquake was a thrust in a very oblique subduction zone. It ruptured at least 270 km (170 mi) along the New Guinea trench. The slip distribution is very nonuniform. The largest slip was ∼12 m near the hypocentral depth, and the mean slip over a 230 km by 100 km fault area was 4 m.
References
1996 Biak earthquake Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA