In the afternoon of Sunday January 25th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the Banda Sea 251 kilometer from Tual, Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Banda Sea, 144 kilometers (90 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 251 kilometer west-southwest of Tual in Maluku. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 125 km.
| Date and Time: | Jan 25, 2026 15:22 (Jayapura Time) - Jan 25, 2026 06:22 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 251 km WSW of Tual, Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 6°12'26"S 130°33'25"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 15 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 . |
| Depth: | 125 km (78 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Tual in Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 251 kilometer (156 mi) west-southwest of Tual.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 251 km (156 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Tual Maluku, Indonesia. |
3 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 87 km (54 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 10 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.1
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 3 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.5 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
3 days earlier Jan 23, 2026 02:44 (Jayapura Time) | 29 km (18 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jan 25, 2026 15:22 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
10 hrs later Jan 26, 2026 01:34 (Jayapura Time) | 87 km (54 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
1 day later Jan 26, 2026 19:02 (Jayapura Time) | 50 km (31 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
1 day later Jan 26, 2026 20:02 (Jayapura Time) | 75 km (46 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
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.
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 January 1st, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 76 km (47 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on January 9th, 2023.
In total, 105 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 month.
Tsunami very unlikely
For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always 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. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 125 km (78 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/01/26 11:28 (). 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 us7000rrx3
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260125_0000076
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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