M5.3 earthquake 216 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 216 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia on Sun, Jul 22, 1979, 9:16 PM GMT+8 (13:16 UTC), 77 km (48 mi) below the surface.

Map

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

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.3	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.52	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.27

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001207 (also filed as iscgem662162). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 4:45 PM UTC.