Indonesia earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 116 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 116 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia on Sat, May 17, 2003, 2:28 AM GMT+9 (17:28 UTC), 81 km (50 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 87 km NW of Ternate, 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: Sat, May 17, 2003, 2:28 AM GMT+9
UTC: 2003-05-16 17:28:48 UTC
Depth: 80.6 km (50.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter: 1.967° N, 126.994° 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: Strike-slip
Nodal plane 1: Strike 339°, dip 49°, rake 16°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 238°, dip 78°, rake 138°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: FROM_LOCATION
Station coverage gap: 84°
Stations used: 57

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000bxbn (also filed as gcmtb051603b, gcmt20030516172848, iscgem6842327). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 1:46 PM UTC.