M5.1 earthquake 154 km SW of Tual, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 154 km SW of Tual, Indonesia on Sun, Sep 13, 1981, 1:30 AM GMT+9 (16:30 UTC), 36 km (22 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 187 km SSW of Tual, 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), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-09-12 16:30:46 UTC
- Depth
- 35.6 km (22.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 6.494° S, 131.659° 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001fu5. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 7:04 AM UTC.