M5.1 earthquake 152 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 152 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia on Wed, Nov 21, 1979, 12:51 PM GMT+9 (03:51 UTC), 61 km (38 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.6 168 km NE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-11-21 03:51:31 UTC
- Depth
- 61.0 km (37.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 2.200° N, 126.718° E
- Region
- Indonesia
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | mb, body-wave | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.54 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.39 |
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
- 33
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.3123 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 17117 days ago · 106 km deep · 30 km away
- 5.6168 km NE of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia · 17102 days ago · 68 km deep · 73 km away
- 5.2148 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 17098 days ago · 70 km deep · 40 km away
- 5.0129 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia · 17061 days ago · 50 km deep · 75 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001441 (also filed as iscgem655938). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 5:13 PM UTC.