A significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck in the Banda Sea 183 kilometer from Tual, Indonesia in the morning of Wednesday February 18th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Banda Sea, 110 kilometers (68 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 183 kilometer west-southwest of Tual in Maluku. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 62 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Feb 18, 2026 11:15 (Jayapura Time) - Feb 18, 2026 02:15 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 183 km WSW of Tual, Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 6°12'31"S 131°12'12"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 52 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 . |
| Depth: | 62 km (38 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 . Tual in Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 183 kilometer (114 mi) west-southwest of Tual.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 183 km (114 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Tual Maluku, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 3 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.9
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.9 |
3 days earlier Feb 15, 2026 11:42 (Jayapura Time) | 100 km (62 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
2 days earlier Feb 16, 2026 17:19 (Jayapura Time) | 16 km (10 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Feb 18, 2026 11:15 (Jayapura Time) | - |
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.
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 February 6th, 2026, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 209 km (130 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on January 9th, 2023.
In total, 67 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 62 km (38 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 18/02/26 22:38 (). 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 us6000s9wr
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260218_0000029
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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