In the Gulf Of Tomini 93 kilometer from Gorontalo, Indonesia, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Thursday January 22nd, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of Tomini, 50 kilometers (31 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 93 kilometer south-southwest of Gorontalo. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 93 km.
| Date and Time: | Jan 22, 2026 06:44 (Makassar Time) - Jan 21, 2026 22:44 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 93 km SSW of Gorontalo, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°11'57"N 122°39'33"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 . |
| Depth: | 93 km (58 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Luwuk in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Luwuk is located 85 kilometer (53 mi) north of the epicenter.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 85 km (53 mi) S from epicenter |
Luwuk Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 93 km (58 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Gorontalo Gorontalo, Indonesia. |
| 250 km (155 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Poso Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 292 km (181 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
6 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 6 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 7 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.9 was detected 34 km (21 mi) east of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 6 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 11 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
3 days earlier Jan 19, 2026 09:38 (Makassar Time) | 44 km (28 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier Jan 20, 2026 09:56 (Makassar Time) | 62 km (39 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
1 day earlier Jan 21, 2026 04:09 (Makassar Time) | 71 km (44 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
1 day earlier Jan 21, 2026 05:29 (Makassar Time) | 96 km (60 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
1 day earlier Jan 21, 2026 06:33 (Makassar Time) | 93 km (58 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
11 hrs earlier Jan 21, 2026 19:23 (Makassar Time) | 78 km (48 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jan 22, 2026 06:44 (Makassar Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
4 hrs later Jan 22, 2026 10:43 (Makassar Time) | 85 km (53 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
7 hrs later Jan 22, 2026 13:23 (Makassar Time) | 34 km (21 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 day later Jan 23, 2026 12:20 (Makassar Time) | 98 km (61 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
2 days later Jan 24, 2026 01:04 (Makassar Time) | 40 km (25 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
2 days later Jan 24, 2026 03:37 (Makassar Time) | 50 km (31 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
2 days later Jan 24, 2026 14:26 (Makassar Time) | 32 km (20 mi) ENE 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.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
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 November 17th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 159 km (99 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on April 12th, 2019.
In total, 75 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 2 months.
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 93 km (58 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 26/01/26 22:18 (). 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 us7000rr7x
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260121_0000447
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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