M5.5 earthquake 208 km WNW of Tual, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 208 km WNW of Tual, Indonesia on Wed, Mar 9, 1988, 1:42 PM GMT+9 (04:42 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-03-09 04:42:52 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 4.662° S, 131.137° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.51 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | 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.: 14S, 34C Centroid Location: Origin Time 04:42:57.0 0.3 Lat 4.72S 0.04 Lon 130.98E 0.05 Dep 60.4 3.2 Half-duration 2.1 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=0.54 0.08 Mtt=-0.35 0.09 Mff=-0.19 0.14 Mrt=-0.25 0.09 Mrf=0.99 0.09 Mtf=-2.00 0.10 Principal Axes: (T) Val=2.21 Plg=29 Azm=230 (N) Val=0.15 Plg=59 Azm=26 (P) Val=-2.37 Plg=11 Azm=134 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.3*10**17 NP1:Strike=268 Dip=62 Slip=166 NP2:Strike=5 Dip=78 Slip=29
From the USGS event page for usp0003drc. 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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.3213 km NW of Tual, Indonesia · 14075 days ago · 55 km deep · 61 km away
- 4.4190 km NW of Tual, Indonesia · 14045 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003drc (also filed as gcmtb030988a, gcmt19880309044252, iscgem442623). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:30 PM UTC.