M5.0 earthquake 206 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 206 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia on Fri, May 1, 1987, 4:30 AM GMT+9 (19:30 UTC), 82 km (51 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M7.1 217 km W 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
- 5.0 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-04-30 19:30:31 UTC
- Depth
- 82.2 km (51.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 6.359° S, 131.036° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.0 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.0 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (II) at Saumlaki. CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 13S, 28C Centroid Location: Origin Time 19:30:38.6 1.8 Lat 6.44S 0.15 Lon 130.81E 0.16 Dep 103.710.5 Half-duration 1.2 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**16 Nm Mrr=-0.25 0.43 Mtt=-0.29 0.69 Mff=0.54 0.95 Mrt=-1.22 0.37 Mrf=2.96 0.39 Mtf=2.49 0.59 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.54 Plg=30 Azm=294 (N) Val=0.93 Plg=40 Azm=176 (P) Val=-4.47 Plg=36 Azm=49 Best Double Couple:Mo=4.0*10**16 NP1:Strike=79 Dip=40 Slip=-5 NP2:Strike=173 Dip=87 Slip=-130
From the USGS event page for usp00034m3. 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5293 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia · 14392 days ago · 110 km deep · 87 km away
- 3.9280 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia · 14387 days ago · 33 km deep · 75 km away
- 5.0292 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia · 14374 days ago · 100 km deep · 86 km away
- 5.3252 km W of Tual, Indonesia · 14369 days ago · 138 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.2244 km W of Tual, Indonesia · 14366 days ago · 151 km deep · 69 km away
- 4.5170 km W of Tual, Indonesia · 14354 days ago · 33 km deep · 65 km away
- 5.1282 km WSW of Tual, Indonesia · 14352 days ago · 112 km deep · 76 km away
- 7.1217 km W of Tual, Indonesia · 14351 days ago · 67 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.6219 km W of Tual, Indonesia · 14347 days ago · 77 km deep · 79 km away
- 3.7159 km W of Tual, Indonesia · 14345 days ago · 117 km deep · 68 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00034m3 (also filed as gcmtb043087d, gcmt19870430193031, iscgem470289). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 11:32 AM UTC.