M5.3 earthquake 213 km NW of Tual, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 213 km NW of Tual, Indonesia on Wed, Mar 23, 1988, 5:04 PM GMT+9 (08:04 UTC), 55 km (34 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-03-23 08:04:52 UTC
- Depth
- 55.3 km (34.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 4.208° S, 131.453° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.29 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.3 | 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.: 9S, 16C Centroid Location: Origin Time 08:04:53.9 1.0 Lat 4.28S 0.09 Lon 131.63E 0.15 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 1.7 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**16 Nm Mrr=6.56 0.72 Mtt=0.57 0.73 Mff=-7.13 1.08 Mrt=-4.48 1.68 Mrf=6.23 1.95 Mtf=3.51 0.62 Principal Axes: (T) Val=10.00 Plg=65 Azm=218 (N) Val=1.58 Plg=10 Azm=331 (P) Val=-11.58 Plg=23 Azm=65 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.1*10**17 NP1:Strike=175 Dip=24 Slip=116 NP2:Strike=327 Dip=68 Slip=79
From the USGS event page for usp0003e7w. 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 2.3 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7265 km E of Amahai, Indonesia · 14073 days ago · 33 km deep · 66 km away
- 5.1223 km E of Amahai, Indonesia · 14070 days ago · 69 km deep · 100 km away
- 4.4190 km NW of Tual, Indonesia · 14046 days ago · 33 km deep · 29 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIndonesia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003e7w (also filed as gcmtb032388b, gcmt19880323080449, iscgem443831). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 10:03 AM UTC.