M5.3 earthquake 95 km SE of Gorontalo, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 95 km SE of Gorontalo, Indonesia on Tue, Dec 18, 1984, 4:48 AM GMT+8 (20:48 UTC), 142 km (88 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.2 69 km ESE of Gorontalo, Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1984-12-17 20:48:57 UTC
- Depth
- 142.0 km (88.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 0.013° N, 123.741° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.28 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 12S, 19C Centroid Location: Origin Time 20:48:58.0 0.6 Lat 0.17N 0.05 Lon 123.73E 0.07 Dep 108.7 3.6 Half-duration 1.7 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**23 D-CM Mrr=9.22 0.71 Mtt=-6.78 1.30 Mff=-2.44 1.61 Mrt=4.48 0.63 Mrf=-0.66 0.70 Mtf=-4.87 1.17 Principal Axes: (T) Val=10.67 Plg=71 Azm=28 (N) Val=-0.12 Plg=16 Azm=243 (P) Val=-10.55 Plg=10 Azm=150 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.1*10**24 NP1:Strike=221 Dip=37 Slip=63 NP2:Strike=73 Dip=57 Slip=109
From the USGS event page for usp0002a5e. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.1132 km ENE of Luwuk, Indonesia · 15255 days ago · 33 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.874 km S of Gorontalo, Indonesia · 15241 days ago · 175 km deep · 65 km away
- 6.269 km ESE of Gorontalo, Indonesia · 15240 days ago · 189 km deep · 27 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002a5e (also filed as gcmtb121784a, gcmt19841217204856, iscgem536827). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 12:48 PM UTC.