Indonesia earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 53 km SSE of Biak, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 53 km SSE of Biak, Indonesia on Wed, Sep 12, 1979, 3:43 PM GMT+9 (06:43 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 42 km E of Biak, Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.

Biak forecast More in Indonesia

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.6 (mb), moderate
Local time: Wed, Sep 12, 1979, 3:43 PM GMT+9
UTC: 1979-09-12 06:43:36 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 1.639° S, 136.223° 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: 9.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 1.5 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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: 76

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 31 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Indonesia earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00012ws (also filed as iscgem658650). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 12:11 PM UTC.