In the evening of Saturday May 23rd, 2026, a significant M5.2 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 101 kilometer from Bengkulu, Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 44 kilometers (27 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 101 kilometer south of Bengkulu. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 48 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 23, 2026 19:40 (Jakarta Time) - May 23, 2026 12:40 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 101 km south of Bengkulu, Indonesia. Coordinates 4°39'53"S 102°33'20"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 54 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.078 . |
| Depth: | 48 km (30 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 . Bengkulu in Bengkulu, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 101 kilometer (63 mi) south of Bengkulu.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Bengkulu is located 101 km to the north. Lubuklinggau is located 156 km to the north. Baturaja is located 188 km to the east.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 101 km (63 mi) N from epicenter |
Bengkulu Bengkulu, Indonesia. |
| 105 km (65 mi) NE from epicenter |
Pagar Alam South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 133 km (83 mi) N from epicenter |
Curup Bengkulu, Indonesia. |
| 147 km (91 mi) NE from epicenter |
Lahat South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 156 km (97 mi) N from epicenter |
Lubuklinggau South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 160 km (99 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tanjungagung South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 188 km (117 mi) E from epicenter |
Baturaja South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 231 km (144 mi) NE from epicenter |
Prabumulih South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 258 km (160 mi) E from epicenter |
Kotabumi Lampung, Indonesia. |
| 296 km (184 mi) E from epicenter |
Terbanggi Besar Lampung, Indonesia. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Indonesia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Lubuk Linggau, Sumatera Selatan, Indonesia: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 53 km (33 mi) south of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 5 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.2
In the days before this main shock, 3 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 23 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.6
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 days earlier May 22, 2026 01:43 (Jakarta Time) | 62 km (38 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
2 days earlier May 22, 2026 06:19 (Jakarta Time) | 50 km (31 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
23 hrs earlier May 22, 2026 20:39 (Jakarta Time) | 59 km (37 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
May 23, 2026 19:40 (Jakarta Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
5 hrs later May 24, 2026 01:08 (Jakarta Time) | 53 km (33 mi) S from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 27th, 2025, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 100 km (62 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on November 18th, 2022.
In total, 48 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 48 km (30 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 23/05/26 20:28 (). 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 us6000szq3
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260523_0000179
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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