M5.5 earthquake 142 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 142 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia on Sun, Aug 18, 1968, 3:47 AM GMT+9 (18:47 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 133 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1968-08-17 18:47:29 UTC
- Depth
- 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 2.084° N, 126.779° E
- Region
- Indonesia
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.53
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.5133 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia · 21227 days ago · 20 km deep · 91 km away
- 5.5Molucca Sea · 21215 days ago · 15 km deep · 88 km away
Before
- 6.0129 km E of Bitung, Indonesia · 21228 days ago · 46 km deep · 97 km away
- 5.8142 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia · 21232 days ago · 30 km deep · 54 km away
- 5.5142 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia · 21232 days ago · 20 km deep · 75 km away
- 6.0136 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia · 21233 days ago · 25 km deep · 65 km away
- 5.9147 km E of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia · 21235 days ago · 30 km deep · 74 km away
- 6.5114 km E of Bitung, Indonesia · 21235 days ago · 21 km deep · 100 km away
- 5.8117 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia · 21235 days ago · 20 km deep · 90 km away
- 7.7121 km E of Bitung, Indonesia · 21235 days ago · 21 km deep · 92 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem818104. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:06 PM UTC.