M5.9 earthquake 166 km S of Sofifi, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 166 km S of Sofifi, Indonesia on Tue, May 23, 1978, 3:01 PM GMT+9 (06:01 UTC), 41 km (25 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-05-23 06:01:05 UTC
- Depth
- 41.0 km (25.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 0.758° S, 127.371° E
- Region
- Indonesia
- 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
- 10.1% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.9 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.
- Stations used
- 142
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.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000up5 (also filed as gcmtb052378c, gcmt19780523060105, atlas19780523060107, iscgem682631). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 7:12 AM UTC.