Unusually powerful M5.4 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Evening in the Indian Ocean 168km from Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 20th, 2026. Last updated January 26th, 2026.

In the evening of Tuesday January 20th, 2026, an unusually powerful MAG-5.4 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 168 kilometer from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Around 10 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, right off the coast of Tanzania (3 mi offshore), 168 kilometer south of Dar es Salaam. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 20, 2026 20:11 (Dar es Salaam Time) - Jan 20, 2026 17:11 Universal Time.
Location:	168 km south of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Coordinates 8°19'40"S 39°20'57"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.086 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 68% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 98% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 10 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 10 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 13,450 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 9 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Tanzania .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Tanzania . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Kibiti in Pwani, Tanzania. Kibiti is located 81 kilometer (50 mi) south-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Kibiti is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Dar es Salaam is located 168 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Zanzibar is located 241 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Morogoro is located 250 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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.

This is the strongest earthquake in 5 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 12th, 2020, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 122 km (76 mi) further north-northeast. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 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 10 years.

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

Sources

Last updated 26/01/26 16:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rqva
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260120_0000260
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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