Under land 81 kilometer from Nabire in Indonesia, a significant MAG-5.3 earthquake occurred in the night of Friday April 3rd, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 81 kilometer (50 mi) southwest of Nabire in Papua. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Apr 3, 2026 00:36 (Jayapura Time) - Apr 2, 2026 15:36 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 81 km SW of Nabire, Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°42'35"S 134°51'35"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 48 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.084 . |
| Depth: | 34 km (21 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (23 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 81 kilometer (50 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nabire (Papua, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 81 km (50 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nabire Papua, Indonesia. |
20 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 20 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 27 km (17 mi) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 3.6
This main shock was prefaced by 7 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 3 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.1
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
3 days earlier Mar 31, 2026 09:09 (Jayapura Time) | 27 km (17 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
2 days earlier Apr 1, 2026 01:02 (Jayapura Time) | 64 km (40 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier Apr 1, 2026 08:27 (Jayapura Time) | 90 km (56 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
20 hrs earlier Apr 2, 2026 04:07 (Jayapura Time) | 85 km (53 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
20 hrs earlier Apr 2, 2026 04:55 (Jayapura Time) | 73 km (45 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
3 hrs earlier Apr 2, 2026 21:51 (Jayapura Time) | 17 km (10 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 hrs earlier Apr 2, 2026 22:26 (Jayapura Time) | 26 km (16 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Apr 3, 2026 00:36 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
34 mins later Apr 3, 2026 01:11 (Jayapura Time) | 11 km (7 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
60 mins later Apr 3, 2026 01:36 (Jayapura Time) | 21 km (13 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 hr later Apr 3, 2026 01:59 (Jayapura Time) | 56 km (35 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
2 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 02:33 (Jayapura Time) | 73 km (45 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 03:00 (Jayapura Time) | 57 km (35 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
3 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 03:10 (Jayapura Time) | 23 km (14 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
3 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 03:35 (Jayapura Time) | 22 km (14 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
5 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 05:09 (Jayapura Time) | 19 km (12 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
6 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 06:06 (Jayapura Time) | 10 km (6 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
6 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 06:10 (Jayapura Time) | 8 km (5 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
6 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 06:41 (Jayapura Time) | 5 km (3 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
6 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 06:59 (Jayapura Time) | 13 km (8 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
20 hrs later Apr 3, 2026 21:02 (Jayapura Time) | 94 km (58 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
2 days later Apr 4, 2026 14:46 (Jayapura Time) | 27 km (17 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
2 days later Apr 4, 2026 18:48 (Jayapura Time) | 4 km (2.2 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 days later Apr 5, 2026 04:43 (Jayapura Time) | 22 km (14 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
2 days later Apr 5, 2026 07:00 (Jayapura Time) | 28 km (17 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
3 days later Apr 5, 2026 18:44 (Jayapura Time) | 21 km (13 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
3 days later Apr 5, 2026 20:06 (Jayapura Time) | 95 km (59 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
3 days later Apr 6, 2026 00:01 (Jayapura Time) | 17 km (11 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.
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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 2nd, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 176 km (109 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6 earthquake struck on September 18th, 2025.
In total, 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 7 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 | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (23 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 34 km (21 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 06/04/26 14:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000sm43
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260402_0000460
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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