Indonesia earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 145 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 145 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia on Sat, Jan 14, 1978, 9:49 PM GMT+8 (13:49 UTC), 45 km (28 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 119 km ENE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.5 (mb), moderate
Local time
UTC
1978-01-14 13:49:42 UTC
Depth
45.0 km (28.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
1.674° N, 126.417° 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.

Stations used
103

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.480 km N of Ternate, Indonesia · 17765 days ago · 110 km deep · 95 km away
  2. 4.4139 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia · 17746 days ago · 75 km deep · 68 km away
  3. 5.0166 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 17742 days ago · 74 km deep · 76 km away
  4. 4.6173 km ENE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia · 17741 days ago · 107 km deep · 54 km away
  5. 4.7103 km E of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia · 17739 days ago · 123 km deep · 62 km away
  6. 5.7119 km ENE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia · 17728 days ago · 63 km deep · 46 km away

Before

  1. 5.2138 km W of Ternate, Indonesia · 17788 days ago · 56 km deep · 82 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000sgs (also filed as gcmtb011478c, gcmt19780114134942, iscgem687713). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:21 PM UTC.