M4.9 earthquake Banda Sea
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck in the Banda Sea on Sun, Aug 27, 1978, 6:30 AM GMT+9 (21:30 UTC), 118 km (73 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 Banda Sea. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-08-26 21:30:06 UTC
- Depth
- 118.0 km (73.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 6.497° S, 130.119° E
- 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.
- Stations used
- 10
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9Banda Sea · 17568 days ago · 95 km deep · 12 km away
- 5.3Banda Sea · 17536 days ago · 198 km deep · 99 km away
- 5.2Banda Sea · 17523 days ago · 105 km deep · 19 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000w80. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:03 PM UTC.