Significant M5.6 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Night in the Maluku Sea 144km from Manado (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 25th, 2026. Last updated May 26th, 2026.

In the night of Tuesday May 26th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 144 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia. Roughly 2.9 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 103 kilometers (64 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 144 kilometer east of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 31 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 26, 2026 04:39 (Makassar Time) - May 25, 2026 20:39 Universal Time.
Location:	144 km east of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°6'41"N 126°5'28"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 15 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 .
Depth:	31 km (19 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 2.9 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.9 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 0 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.7 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Tondano in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tondano is located 133 kilometer (83 mi) east of the epicenter. Tondano experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

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 IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

5 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 5 smaller aftershocks. Just 9 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.1 was detected 14 km (9 mi) south-east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 31 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 day earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.9

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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

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 22nd, 2026, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 8 km (5 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 1st, 2026.

In total, 54 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 2 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 26/05/26 18:28 (). 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 us6000t04f
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260525_0000333
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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