In the Maluku Sea 112 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia, a significant MAG-5.1 earthquake occurred around noon of Sunday January 18th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 65 kilometers (40 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 112 kilometer south-southeast of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 73 km.
| Date and Time: | Jan 18, 2026 12:16 (Makassar Time) - Jan 18, 2026 04:16 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 112 km SSE of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°36'23"N 125°21'12"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 64 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 . |
| Depth: | 73 km (45 mi) An intermediate 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 . Tondano in North Sulawesi, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 92 kilometer (57 mi) south-southeast of Tondano.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Manado is located 112 km to the north-northwest. Gorontalo is located 255 km to the west. Ternate is located 227 km to the east.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 92 km (57 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 100 km (62 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 112 km (70 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 227 km (141 mi) E from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 246 km (153 mi) E from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 255 km (158 mi) W from epicenter |
Gorontalo Gorontalo, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. A 3 magnitude earthquake hit 1 hr later 25 km (16 mi) east-northeast of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. 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) | 24 km (15 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
12 hrs earlier Jan 18, 2026 00:08 (Makassar Time) | 89 km (55 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jan 18, 2026 12:16 (Makassar Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
1 hr later Jan 18, 2026 13:44 (Makassar Time) | 25 km (16 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
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 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 295 km (183 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on November 14th, 2019.
In total, 170 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 21 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 73 km (45 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 18/01/26 21:08 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- 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
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