On Tuesday Morning a Shallow M6.2 Earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 280km from Medan (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 3rd, 2026. Last updated April 18th, 2026.

A shallow and strong MAG-6.2 earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 280 kilometer from Medan, Indonesia around noon of Tuesday March 3rd, 2026. Around 3.4 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 46 kilometers (29 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 280 kilometer southwest of Medan in North Sumatra. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 3, 2026 11:56 (Jakarta Time) - Mar 3, 2026 04:56 Universal Time.
Location:	280 km SW of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°0'27"N 96°41'42"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.2 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 .
Depth:	18 km (11 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 3.4 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 3.4 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 690 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 2.3 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 Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Singkil in Aceh, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 125 kilometer (78 mi) west of Singkil. Singkil experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Medan is located 280 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Percut is located 301 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Binjai is located 266 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected 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

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Indonesia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Kabanjahe, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.

9 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 9 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 1 hr after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.4 was detected 56 km (35 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 27th, 2025, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit 114 km (71 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on May 14th, 2021.

In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.2 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 3 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 18/04/26 10:38 (). 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 us7000s1ln
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260303_0000055
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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