M5.2 earthquake Molucca Sea
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in the Molucca Sea on Mon, May 4, 1987, 3:24 PM GMT+9 (06:24 UTC), 64 km (40 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 136 km WNW 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
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-05-04 06:24:33 UTC
- Depth
- 63.9 km (39.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 2.062° N, 126.638° 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 2.2 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.6119 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia · 14381 days ago · 112 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.674 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14376 days ago · 33 km deep · 82 km away
- 4.7141 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia · 14364 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
- 4.7125 km NNW of Ternate, Indonesia · 14359 days ago · 102 km deep · 39 km away
- 4.6145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14353 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
- 5.2123 km E of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia · 14348 days ago · 45 km deep · 86 km away
- 5.5136 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14339 days ago · 70 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.7144 km E of Laikit, Laikit II (Dimembe), Indonesia · 14338 days ago · 33 km deep · 59 km away
- 5.168 km W of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14335 days ago · 125 km deep · 91 km away
Before
- 4.3105 km W of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14392 days ago · 122 km deep · 59 km away
- 4.6160 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14400 days ago · 33 km deep · 62 km away
- 5.1102 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14405 days ago · 126 km deep · 55 km away
- 4.8117 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14406 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.8165 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia · 14414 days ago · 117 km deep · 49 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00034pt. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC.