M4.2 earthquake 172 km N of Tobelo, Indonesia
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 172 km N of Tobelo, Indonesia on Tue, Sep 8, 1981, 7:27 PM GMT+9 (10:27 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 126 km N of Tobelo, Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.2 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-09-08 10:27:46 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 3.275° N, 128.184° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.2126 km N of Tobelo, Indonesia · 16438 days ago · 79 km deep · 47 km away
- 4.6133 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia · 16418 days ago · 147 km deep · 43 km away
- 5.1191 km NNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 16406 days ago · 76 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.1257 km N of Tobelo, Indonesia · 16397 days ago · 102 km deep · 91 km away
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001frd. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 8:09 AM UTC.