M5.2 earthquake 140 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 140 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia on Fri, Apr 18, 1986, 5:08 PM GMT+9 (08:08 UTC), 52 km (32 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 138 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
- 5.2 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-04-18 08:08:39 UTC
- Depth
- 52.1 km (32.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 5.997° S, 131.542° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.2 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.17 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.2 | 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.: 13S, 24C Centroid Location: Origin Time 08:08:45.9 1.0 Lat 5.87S 0.08 Lon 131.88E 0.13 Dep 85.4 6.4 Half-duration 1.5 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**23 D-CM Mrr=2.54 0.56 Mtt=-6.73 0.88 Mff=4.19 1.12 Mrt=1.41 0.49 Mrf=3.81 0.45 Mtf=1.11 0.77 Principal Axes: (T) Val=7.48 Plg=39 Azm=279 (N) Val=-0.51 Plg=51 Azm=85 (P) Val=-6.97 Plg=7 Azm=183 Best Double Couple:Mo=7.2*10**23 NP1:Strike=314 Dip=58 Slip=155 NP2:Strike=57 Dip=69 Slip=34
From the USGS event page for usp0002t05. 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
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.0122 km W of Tual, Indonesia · 14765 days ago · 52 km deep · 59 km away
- 5.0146 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia · 14763 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
- 5.3138 km SSW of Tual, Indonesia · 14734 days ago · 33 km deep · 99 km away
- 4.7150 km WNW of Tual, Indonesia · 14729 days ago · 33 km deep · 93 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002t05 (also filed as gcmtb041886a, gcmt19860418080839, iscgem498498). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:54 AM UTC.