M5.3 earthquake 197 km NE of Tual, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 197 km NE of Tual, Indonesia on Sat, Dec 22, 1973, 7:52 AM GMT+9 (22:52 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.3 155 km ENE of Tual, Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1973-12-21 22:52:40 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 4.355° S, 134.002° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 29
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.3155 km ENE of Tual, Indonesia · 19235 days ago · 33 km deep · 90 km away
- 5.6178 km ENE of Tual, Indonesia · 19235 days ago · 33 km deep · 67 km away
- 5.8154 km ENE of Tual, Indonesia · 19232 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
- 5.7133 km ENE of Tual, Indonesia · 19231 days ago · 33 km deep · 88 km away
- 5.8171 km WSW of Nabire, Indonesia · 19227 days ago · 30 km deep · 65 km away
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00004m3. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 2:43 PM UTC.