M5.6 earthquake 143 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 143 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia on Thu, Jan 28, 1971, 1:05 AM GMT+9 (16:05 UTC), 105 km (65 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.9 144 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1971-01-27 16:05:51 UTC
- Depth
- 105.0 km (65.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 1.645° N, 126.416° 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
- ±0.35
- 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: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.9144 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 20318 days ago · 24 km deep · 76 km away
- 5.5138 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 20301 days ago · 24 km deep · 74 km away
- 5.6151 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 20276 days ago · 33 km deep · 71 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem788618. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:25 PM UTC.