A shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 290 kilometer from Medan, Indonesia in the early afternoon of Sunday March 8th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 41 kilometers (25 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 290 kilometer southwest of Medan in North Sumatra. 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: | Mar 8, 2026 13:05 (Jakarta Time) - Mar 8, 2026 06:05 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 290 km SW of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°0'28"N 96°34'55"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Singkil in Aceh, Indonesia. Singkil is located 138 kilometer (86 mi) west of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Medan is located 290 km to the north-east. Binjai is located 276 km to the north-east. Pematangsiantar is located 296 km to the east.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 138 km (86 mi) E from epicenter |
Singkil Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 237 km (147 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tongging North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 243 km (151 mi) N from epicenter |
Meulaboh Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 244 km (152 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kabanjahe North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 246 km (153 mi) E from epicenter |
Sibolga North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 251 km (156 mi) NE from epicenter |
Berastagi North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 276 km (171 mi) NE from epicenter |
Binjai North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 283 km (176 mi) NE from epicenter |
Stabat North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 285 km (177 mi) NE from epicenter |
Sunggal North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 287 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter |
Deli Tua North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 290 km (180 mi) NE from epicenter |
Medan North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 293 km (182 mi) NE from epicenter |
Pangkalan Brandan North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 296 km (184 mi) E from epicenter |
Pematangsiantar North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
3 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 3 smaller aftershocks. Just 7 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.1 was detected 32 km (20 mi) east of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.9
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
2 days earlier Mar 6, 2026 12:59 (Jakarta Time) | 19 km (12 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
4 hrs earlier Mar 8, 2026 09:00 (Jakarta Time) | 68 km (42 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Mar 8, 2026 13:05 (Jakarta Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
5 hrs later Mar 8, 2026 18:13 (Jakarta Time) | 33 km (20 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
7 hrs later Mar 8, 2026 19:48 (Jakarta Time) | 32 km (20 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
2 days later Mar 10, 2026 05:46 (Jakarta Time) | 71 km (44 mi) SE 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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
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 March 3rd, 2026, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 13 km (8 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on May 14th, 2021.
In total, 31 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 4 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 31/03/26 01:58 (). 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 us7000s2xx
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260308_0000093
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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