A significant MAG-5.2 aftershock struck in the Maluku Sea 258 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia in the morning of Tuesday January 13th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 98 kilometers (61 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 258 kilometer north-east of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 56 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 13, 2026 10:27 (Jayapura Time) - Jan 13, 2026 01:27 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 258 km NE of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°54'44"N 126°40'19"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 66 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 . |
| Depth: | 56 km (35 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 249 kilometer (155 mi) north-northwest of Ternate.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 249 km (155 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter |
Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 261 km (162 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 265 km (165 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 273 km (170 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 6.4 earthquake struck 94 km (59 mi) north-northeast in advance of this 5.2 earthquake around 2 days earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
3 days earlier Jan 8, 2026 01:10 (Jayapura Time) | 52 km (32 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
2 days earlier Jan 8, 2026 22:55 (Jayapura Time) | 98 km (61 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
2 days earlier Jan 9, 2026 01:27 (Jayapura Time) | 95 km (59 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.9 |
2 days earlier Jan 9, 2026 03:53 (Jayapura Time) | 29 km (18 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
15 hrs earlier Jan 10, 2026 08:57 (Jayapura Time) | 59 km (37 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
9 hrs earlier Jan 10, 2026 14:59 (Jayapura Time) | 56 km (35 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 6.4 |
Jan 10, 2026 23:58 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.2 |
17 mins later Jan 11, 2026 00:15 (Jayapura Time) | 8 km (5 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
1 hr later Jan 11, 2026 01:12 (Jayapura Time) | 6 km (4 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
5 hrs later Jan 11, 2026 04:40 (Jayapura Time) | 9 km (5 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
5 hrs later Jan 11, 2026 05:18 (Jayapura Time) | 5 km (3 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
13 hrs later Jan 11, 2026 12:35 (Jayapura Time) | 6 km (4 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
13 hrs later Jan 11, 2026 13:03 (Jayapura Time) | 4 km (2.4 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
18 hrs later Jan 11, 2026 17:45 (Jayapura Time) | 45 km (28 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
1 day later Jan 12, 2026 05:09 (Jayapura Time) | 83 km (51 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
2 days later Jan 12, 2026 14:41 (Jayapura Time) | 10 km (6 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 02:03 (Jayapura Time) | 24 km (15 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 02:52 (Jayapura Time) | 24 km (15 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 03:01 (Jayapura Time) | 39 km (24 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 05:16 (Jayapura Time) | 30 km (19 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 06:03 (Jayapura Time) | 46 km (28 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 06:33 (Jayapura Time) | 47 km (29 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 10:27 (Jayapura Time) | 94 km (59 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 10:36 (Jayapura Time) | 94 km (58 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
2 days later Jan 13, 2026 11:03 (Jayapura Time) | 94 km (58 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
3 days later Jan 13, 2026 12:31 (Jayapura Time) | 27 km (17 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
3 days later Jan 13, 2026 12:42 (Jayapura Time) | 34 km (21 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
3 days later Jan 13, 2026 12:48 (Jayapura Time) | 98 km (61 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
3 days later Jan 14, 2026 03:48 (Jayapura Time) | 51 km (31 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
3 days later Jan 14, 2026 05:31 (Jayapura Time) | 74 km (46 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
4 days later Jan 14, 2026 22:48 (Jayapura Time) | 28 km (17 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
5 days later Jan 15, 2026 20:40 (Jayapura Time) | 18 km (11 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
5 days later Jan 15, 2026 23:24 (Jayapura Time) | 30 km (19 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
5 days later Jan 15, 2026 23:30 (Jayapura Time) | 62 km (39 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 155 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 24 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 56 km (35 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 18/01/26 01:08 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rpaw
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260113_0000023
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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