Significant earthquakes of 2003

December 5, 2003 Earthquake: Flores, Ruteng, Indonesia

December 5, 2003 · M4.9

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck Flores, Ruteng, Indonesia on December 5, 2003 at 23:41:27 UTC, 33 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
December 5, 2003
Time
23:41:27 UTC
Place
Flores, Ruteng, Indonesia
Magnitude
4.9 (Ms)
Focal depth
33 km (21 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
8.137° S, 120.524° E
Country
Indonesia

The toll

Damage
Limited (under about $1 million)
Houses damaged
Few (about 1 to 50)

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.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Buildings damaged in the Ruteng area. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 2003The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2003Recent 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 5745.