M5.2 earthquake 37 km NE of Bima, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 37 km NE of Bima, Indonesia on Mon, Mar 21, 1988, 9:17 PM GMT+8 (13:17 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 37 km NE of Bima, 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
- 1988-03-21 13:17:37 UTC
- Depth
- 23.8 km (14.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 8.186° S, 118.933° 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 |
| 5.2 | 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.: 12S, 22C Centroid Location: Origin Time 13:17:38.7 0.8 Lat 8.17S FIX;Lon 118.94E FIX Dep 15.2 FIX Half-duration 2.0 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**16 Nm Mrr=4.71 0.94 Mtt=-4.99 0.71 Mff=0.28 1.48 Mrt=-4.85 1.76 Mrf=4.33 1.80 Mtf=-1.30 0.68 Principal Axes: (T) Val=9.03 Plg=56 Azm=234 (N) Val=-2.00 Plg=23 Azm=106 (P) Val=-7.03 Plg=24 Azm=5 Best Double Couple:Mo=8.0*10**16 NP1:Strike=57 Dip=29 Slip=37 NP2:Strike=293 Dip=73 Slip=114
From the USGS event page for usp0003e5v. 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 2.2 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.337 km NE of Bima, Indonesia · 14074 days ago · 33 km deep · 6 km away
- 4.545 km NE of Bima, Indonesia · 14073 days ago · 33 km deep · 8 km away
- 4.140 km NNW of Komodo, Indonesia · 14073 days ago · 33 km deep · 46 km away
- 4.427 km S of Dompu, Indonesia · 14063 days ago · 118 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.431 km W of Komodo, Indonesia · 14061 days ago · 118 km deep · 58 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003e5v (also filed as gcmtb032188a, gcmt19880321131738, iscgem443680). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:37 AM UTC.