M5.0 earthquake 216 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 216 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia on Wed, Aug 16, 1978, 9:15 PM GMT+9 (12:15 UTC), 136 km (85 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 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
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-08-16 12:15:10 UTC
- Depth
- 136.0 km (84.5 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 6.128° S, 130.858° 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
- 18
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.9Banda Sea · 17567 days ago · 118 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.9Banda Sea · 17566 days ago · 95 km deep · 97 km away
- 5.2Banda Sea · 17521 days ago · 105 km deep · 98 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000w36. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 12:42 PM UTC.