In the morning of Friday March 27th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.7 earthquake hit under land 165 kilometer from Jayapura in Indonesia. Around 2.6 million people have been exposed to shaking.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 165 kilometer (103 mi) southwest of Jayapura in Papua. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 54 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Mar 27, 2026 07:51 (Jayapura Time) - Mar 26, 2026 22:51 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 165 km SW of Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°11'1"S 139°22'51"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.7 Detected by 20 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.069 . |
| Depth: | 54 km (33 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | V
Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to 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 2.6 million people exposed to shaking
This earthquake may have been felt by around 2.6 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 V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 280 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.2 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.
People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Indonesia , around 2.5 million people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of Papua New Guinea too.
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 130,600 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 2,156,000 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 266,600 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 280 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 0 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Abepura in Papua, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 154 kilometer (96 mi) southwest of Abepura. Abepura experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 154 km (96 mi) NE from epicenter |
Abepura Papua, Indonesia. |
III
Weak |
| 165 km (103 mi) NE from epicenter |
Jayapura Papua, Indonesia. |
III
Weak |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is V.
12 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 12 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 96 km (60 mi) north of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.7 |
Mar 27, 2026 07:51 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
7 hrs later Mar 27, 2026 14:57 (Jayapura Time) | 80 km (50 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
19 hrs later Mar 28, 2026 02:47 (Jayapura Time) | 34 km (21 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
23 hrs later Mar 28, 2026 07:19 (Jayapura Time) | 25 km (16 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
1 day later Mar 28, 2026 12:26 (Jayapura Time) | 21 km (13 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
2 days later Mar 28, 2026 20:39 (Jayapura Time) | 98 km (61 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
2 days later Mar 29, 2026 00:58 (Jayapura Time) | 26 km (16 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
2 days later Mar 29, 2026 04:28 (Jayapura Time) | 52 km (32 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
2 days later Mar 29, 2026 15:41 (Jayapura Time) | 93 km (58 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
2 days later Mar 29, 2026 18:33 (Jayapura Time) | 96 km (60 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
3 days later Mar 30, 2026 02:14 (Jayapura Time) | 81 km (50 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
3 days later Mar 30, 2026 03:18 (Jayapura Time) | 59 km (37 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
3 days later Mar 30, 2026 06:07 (Jayapura Time) | 63 km (39 mi) NE 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.
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 October 16th, 2025, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit 123 km (76 mi) further northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.
In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 8 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. 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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 54 km (33 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 31/03/26 22:18 (). 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 us7000s7z5
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260326_0000392
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
