Significant M5.1 AFTERSHOCK hit in the Maluku Sea 175km from Manado (Indonesia) on Friday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 3rd, 2026. Last updated April 5th, 2026.

In the evening of Friday April 3rd, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.1 aftershock hit in the Maluku Sea 175 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 113 kilometers (70 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 175 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 19:59 (Jayapura Time) - Apr 3, 2026 10:59 Universal Time.
Location:	175 km east of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°30'14"N 126°25'31"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 51 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 .
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 . Located 133 kilometer (83 mi) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ternate (North Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 7.4 earthquake struck 45 km (28 mi) south in advance of this 5.1 earthquake around 2 days earlier.

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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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, 214 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 17 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 05/04/26 16:48 (). 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 us6000smbs
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260403_0000285
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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