Indonesia earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 161 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 161 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia on Tue, May 21, 2002, 2:27 PM GMT+9 (05:27 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 86 km W of Tobelo, Indonesia. This one was a foreshock.

Tobelo forecast More in Indonesia

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (mwc), moderate
Local time: Tue, May 21, 2002, 2:27 PM GMT+9
UTC: 2002-05-21 05:27:08 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 2.032° N, 126.587° 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.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Oblique reverse
Nodal plane 1: Strike 196°, dip 36°, rake 44°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 68°, dip 66°, rake 118°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used: 78

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000b4py (also filed as gcmtb052102a, gcmt20020521052708, iscgem3153119). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:38 AM UTC.