M4.9 earthquake Banda Sea
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck in the Banda Sea on Sun, Aug 27, 1978, 11:35 PM GMT+9 (14:35 UTC), 95 km (59 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), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-08-27 14:35:24 UTC
- Depth
- 95.0 km (59.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 6.605° S, 130.118° 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
- 19
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.3Banda Sea · 17534 days ago · 198 km deep · 94 km away
- 5.2Banda Sea · 17522 days ago · 105 km deep · 8 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000w8a. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 8:37 PM UTC.