Significant M5.9 AFTERSHOCK hit in the Maluku Sea 164km from Manado (Indonesia) on Thursday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 2nd, 2026. Last updated April 18th, 2026.

In the Maluku Sea 164 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia, a significant Magnitude 5.9 aftershock occurred in the evening of Thursday April 2nd, 2026. Around 2.7 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 121 kilometers (75 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 164 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 2, 2026 23:13 (Jayapura Time) - Apr 2, 2026 14:13 Universal Time.
Location:	164 km east of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°14'24"N 126°18'1"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 .
Depth:	35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 2.7 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 2.7 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.

An estimated 19,040 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 2.6 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 .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
12,930	II	Very weak	None
2,622,000	III	Weak	Probably none
19,040	IV	Light	Likely none
0	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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia. Ternate is located 130 kilometer (81 mi) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ternate is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Manado is located 164 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Ternate is located 130 km to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Gorontalo is located 368 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is V.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-7.4 earthquake that struck 15 hrs earlier. That main earthquake hit 14 km (9 mi) south of the epicenter of this MAG-5.9 aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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. In total, 30 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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

Sources

Last updated 18/04/26 15:08 (). 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 us6000sm1v
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260402_0000406
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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