Significant M5.4 Earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 260km from Ternate (Indonesia) on Tuesday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 7th, 2026.

In the late afternoon of Tuesday July 7th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.4 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 260 kilometer from Ternate, Indonesia. Roughly 400 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 112 kilometers (70 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 260 kilometer north of Ternate in North Maluku. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 37 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 7, 2026 16:16 (Jayapura Time) - Jul 7, 2026 07:16 Universal Time.
Location:	260 km north of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°7'26"N 127°33'26"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 9 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.103 .
Depth:	37 km (23 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 400 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 400 thousand 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.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 388,400 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
16,270	II	Very weak	None
388,400	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 260 kilometer (162 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ternate (North Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
260 km (162 mi) S from epicenter	Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia.
265 km (165 mi) S from epicenter	Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia.

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 III.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. Just 7 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.5 was detected 30 km (18 mi) west of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.7

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.7	2 days earlier Jul 5, 2026 05:48 (Jayapura Time)	98 km (61 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	Jul 7, 2026 16:16 (Jayapura Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.5	7 hrs later Jul 7, 2026 23:21 (Jayapura Time)	30 km (18 mi) W from Main Shock.

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.

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 July 3rd, 2026, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 145 km (90 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 1st, 2026.

In total, 116 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 month.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 37 km (23 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 07/07/26 18:58 (). 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.