Under land 94 kilometer from Nabire in Indonesia, a shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Thursday April 9th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 94 kilometer (58 mi) north-east of Nabire in Papua. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Apr 9, 2026 16:32 (Jayapura Time) - Apr 9, 2026 07:32 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 94 km NE of Nabire, Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°59'8"S 136°15'28"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 75 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Nabire in Papua, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 94 kilometer (58 mi) north-east of Nabire.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 94 km (58 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nabire Papua, Indonesia. |
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. Just 5 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.4 was detected 20 km (12 mi) east of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 4 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 20 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
2 days earlier Apr 8, 2026 02:22 (Jayapura Time) | 65 km (41 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
1 day earlier Apr 8, 2026 05:45 (Jayapura Time) | 92 km (57 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
1 day earlier Apr 8, 2026 13:00 (Jayapura Time) | 99 km (61 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
20 hrs earlier Apr 8, 2026 20:43 (Jayapura Time) | 71 km (44 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Apr 9, 2026 16:32 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
5 hrs later Apr 9, 2026 21:47 (Jayapura Time) | 20 km (12 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
24 hrs later Apr 10, 2026 16:27 (Jayapura Time) | 74 km (46 mi) SW 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.
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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 2nd, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 175 km (109 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck on June 19th, 2019.
In total, 44 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 3 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 10/04/26 08:08 (). 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 us6000snmv
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260409_0000128
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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