M5.6 earthquake 54 km N of Dili, Timor Leste
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 54 km N of Dili, Timor Leste on Wed, Aug 16, 1978, 1:10 AM GMT+8 (17:10 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-08-15 17:10:56 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 8.069° S, 125.514° E
- Region
- Timor Leste
- Strongest shaking
- V, moderate shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- V, moderate shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 8.6% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.4 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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
- 81
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
Earthquakes todayTimor Leste earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000w2y (also filed as iscgem678079). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:02 AM UTC.