M5.0 earthquake - 180 km E of Amahai, Indonesia

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 180 km E of Amahai, Indonesia on 23 Jan 2018, 17:38 UTC at a depth of 17 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Masohi, about 175 km away in Maluku, Indonesia.