March 8, 1989 Earthquake: Morotai, Tanawangu, Molucca Passage, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Morotai, Tanawangu, Molucca Passage, Indonesia on March 8, 1989 at 11:44:32 UTC, 32 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- March 8, 1989
- Time
- 11:44:32 UTC
- Place
- Morotai, Tanawangu, Molucca Passage, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 32 km (20 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 1.031° N, 126.189° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 8, 1845, Menado, Tikala, Tomohon, N Sulawesi, Indonesia
- July 14, 1855, Ternate Island, Maluku, Indonesia
- January 21, 1994, Kau, Indonesia
- May 14, 1932, Kakas,langowan,poso,tondano, Sulawesi, Indonesia
- January 21, 2007, N, Molucca Islands, Indonesia
- April 1, 2026, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
- November 14, 2019, N, Molucca Islands, Indonesia
- September 6, 1889, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
- December 13, 1858, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
- June 7, 2016, Ternate Island, Maluku, Indonesia
- June 28, 1859, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
- August 10, 1968, Manado, Celebes, Molucca Islands, Indonesia
- June 25, 1907, Djailolo Gilolo, Indonesia
- November 15, 2014, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
- January 25, 1846, N. Moluccas Islands, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1989The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1989Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5188.