Significant M5.1 AFTERSHOCK struck on Friday Night in the Maluku Sea 148km from Manado (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 2nd, 2026. Last updated April 20th, 2026.

In the Maluku Sea 148 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia, a significant Magnitude 5.1 aftershock occurred just after midnight of Friday April 3rd, 2026.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 105 kilometers (65 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 148 kilometer east of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 3, 2026 00:10 (Makassar Time) - Apr 2, 2026 16:10 Universal Time.
Location:	148 km east of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°14'26"N 126°9'15"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 135 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.049 .
Depth:	35 km (22 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Tondano in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tondano is located 138 kilometer (86 mi) east of the epicenter.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 7.4 earthquake struck 21 km (13 mi) south-east in advance of this 5.1 earthquake around 17 hrs earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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.

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. In total, 200 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 18 days.

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 20/04/26 17:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000sm5i
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260402_0000476
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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