Indonesia earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 147 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 147 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia on Sun, Dec 8, 2002, 8:32 PM GMT+9 (11:32 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 209 km NW 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: 4.9 (mwc), light
Local time: Sun, Dec 8, 2002, 8:32 PM GMT+9
UTC: 2002-12-08 11:32:30 UTC
Depth: 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 2.575° N, 126.988° 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 normal
Nodal plane 1: Strike 249°, dip 19°, rake -59°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 37°, dip 74°, rake -100°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used: 36

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 10 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 usp000bkb7 (also filed as gcmtb120802b, gcmt20021208113230). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 8:25 AM UTC.