A significant M5.0 earthquake struck in the Maluku Sea 111 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia around noon of Sunday January 18th, 2026.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 61 kilometers (38 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 111 kilometer south-southeast of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 63 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 18, 2026 12:16 (Makassar Time) - Jan 18, 2026 04:16 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 111 km SSE of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°34'52"N 125°16'53"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 103 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 . |
| Depth: | 63 km (39 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Tondano in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tondano is located 90 kilometer (56 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Manado is located 111 km to the north-northwest. Gorontalo is located 247 km to the west. Ternate is located 235 km to the east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 90 km (56 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 98 km (61 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 111 km (69 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 235 km (146 mi) E from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 247 km (153 mi) W from epicenter |
Gorontalo Gorontalo, Indonesia. |
| 254 km (158 mi) E from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. Just 1 hr after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3 was detected 34 km (21 mi) east-northeast of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 3.3 magnitude earthquake hit 12 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
2 days earlier Jan 16, 2026 10:20 (Makassar Time) | 16 km (10 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
12 hrs earlier Jan 18, 2026 00:08 (Makassar Time) | 98 km (61 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.0 |
Jan 18, 2026 12:16 (Makassar Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
1 hr later Jan 18, 2026 13:44 (Makassar Time) | 34 km (21 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 day later Jan 19, 2026 22:40 (Makassar Time) | 13 km (8 mi) SW 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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 13th, 2026, when a 5 magnitude earthquake hit 121 km (75 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on November 14th, 2019.
In total, 320 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 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 11 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. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 63 km (39 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 16/02/26 02:08 (). 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 us7000rqdm
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260118_0000059
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
