Strong M6.2 Earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 111km from Ternate (Indonesia) on Friday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 3rd, 2026. Last updated August 20th, 2026.

Around noon of Friday July 3rd, 2026, a strong M6.2 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 111 kilometer from Ternate, Indonesia. Around 1 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (8 mi offshore), 111 kilometer north of Ternate in North Maluku. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 107 km.

Date and Time:	Jul 3, 2026 11:31 (Jayapura Time) - Jul 3, 2026 02:31 Universal Time.
Location:	111 km north of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°46'57"N 127°27'35"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.2 Detected by 59 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.04 .
Depth:	107 km (66 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to 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 1 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 6,880 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 650 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely 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 . Located 111 kilometer (69 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ternate (North Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ternate is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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 V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 6 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:

• Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 5 people.
• Bitung, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.

19 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 19 smaller aftershocks. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.8 was detected 7 km (4 mi) west of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 5 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.9

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 2nd, 2026, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 129 km (80 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 1st, 2026.

In total, 11 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.2 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 year.

Tsunami very unlikely

For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 20/08/26 06:58 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000t9r5
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260703_0000038
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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