Shallow M5.2 AFTERSHOCK struck on Tuesday Morning near Palu in Indonesia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on June 16th, 2026. Last updated June 20th, 2026.

Under land 44 kilometer from Palu in Indonesia, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 aftershock occurred around noon of Tuesday June 16th, 2026.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 44 kilometer (27 mi) south-east of Palu in Central Sulawesi. 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:	Jun 16, 2026 11:30 (Makassar Time) - Jun 16, 2026 03:30 Universal Time.
Location:	44 km SE of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°6'37"S 120°12'49"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.135 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (20 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually 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 . Palu in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 44 kilometer (27 mi) south-east of Palu.

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

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-6.7 earthquake that struck 3 mins earlier. That main earthquake hit 1.8 km (1.1 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this MAG-5.2 aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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. In total, 45 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.

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

Sources

Last updated 20/06/26 03:08 (). 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 us7000st96
2. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
3. Google Maps: Static API
4. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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