In the Flores Sea 80 kilometer from Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred in the evening of Wednesday May 20th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Flores Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (6 mi offshore), 80 kilometer west of Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara. 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: | May 20, 2026 18:28 (Makassar Time) - May 20, 2026 10:28 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 80 km west of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°13'29"S 119°13'7"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 41 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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 60 kilometer (37 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Bima (West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 60 km (37 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bima West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 80 km (50 mi) E from epicenter |
Labuan Bajo East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 90 km (56 mi) SW from epicenter |
Dompu West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 144 km (89 mi) E from epicenter |
Ruteng East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 196 km (122 mi) SE from epicenter |
Waingapu East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 200 km (124 mi) W from epicenter |
Sumbawa Besar West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 277 km (172 mi) E from epicenter |
Ende East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
5 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 5 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 7 km (5 mi) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 4 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 3.3
This main shock was prefaced by 8 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 6 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier May 18, 2026 23:48 (Makassar Time) | 98 km (61 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
1 day earlier May 19, 2026 13:09 (Makassar Time) | 66 km (41 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
23 hrs earlier May 19, 2026 19:10 (Makassar Time) | 75 km (47 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
20 hrs earlier May 19, 2026 22:28 (Makassar Time) | 14 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
15 hrs earlier May 20, 2026 03:09 (Makassar Time) | 51 km (32 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
13 hrs earlier May 20, 2026 05:13 (Makassar Time) | 11 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
6 hrs earlier May 20, 2026 12:17 (Makassar Time) | 4 km (2.5 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
2 hrs earlier May 20, 2026 16:04 (Makassar Time) | 7 km (5 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
May 20, 2026 18:28 (Makassar Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
4 mins later May 20, 2026 18:33 (Makassar Time) | 7 km (5 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
15 mins later May 20, 2026 18:43 (Makassar Time) | 8 km (5 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
34 mins later May 20, 2026 19:02 (Makassar Time) | 6 km (4 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
43 mins later May 20, 2026 19:11 (Makassar Time) | 2.8 km (1.7 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
6 hrs later May 21, 2026 00:40 (Makassar Time) | 8 km (5 mi) NW 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.
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 May 5th, 2026, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 210 km (131 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on August 19th, 2018.
In total, 40 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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.
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
| 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 under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. 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 20/05/26 23:48 (). 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 us6000syy1
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260520_0000171
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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