In the evening of Sunday July 12th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit under land 145 kilometer from Labuan Bajo in Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 145 kilometer (90 mi) southwest of Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 43 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 12, 2026 21:20 (Makassar Time) - Jul 12, 2026 13:20 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 145 km SW of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 9°40'14"S 119°18'14"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 58 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.078 . |
| Depth: | 43 km (27 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (8 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 . Waingapu in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 105 kilometer (65 mi) west of Waingapu.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 105 km (65 mi) E from epicenter |
Waingapu East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 145 km (90 mi) NE from epicenter |
Labuan Bajo East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 149 km (93 mi) NW from epicenter |
Bima West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 156 km (97 mi) NW from epicenter |
Dompu West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 173 km (107 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ruteng East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 245 km (152 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sumbawa Besar West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 275 km (171 mi) E from epicenter |
Ende East Nusa Tenggara, 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:
- Waingapu, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. Just 4 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-2.7 was detected 29 km (18 mi) north of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 10 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
3 days earlier Jul 9, 2026 23:41 (Makassar Time) | 64 km (40 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier Jul 10, 2026 09:23 (Makassar Time) | 72 km (44 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier Jul 10, 2026 09:53 (Makassar Time) | 17 km (11 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
2 days earlier Jul 10, 2026 13:37 (Makassar Time) | 19 km (12 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier Jul 10, 2026 13:51 (Makassar Time) | 29 km (18 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
2 days earlier Jul 10, 2026 15:41 (Makassar Time) | 19 km (12 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
2 days earlier Jul 10, 2026 15:44 (Makassar Time) | 21 km (13 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
10 hrs earlier Jul 12, 2026 11:32 (Makassar Time) | 38 km (24 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
10 hrs earlier Jul 12, 2026 11:41 (Makassar Time) | 38 km (24 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 hrs earlier Jul 12, 2026 19:15 (Makassar Time) | 15 km (10 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jul 12, 2026 21:20 (Makassar Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
4 hrs later Jul 13, 2026 00:51 (Makassar Time) | 29 km (18 mi) N 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.
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
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 May 20th, 2026, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 164 km (102 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on August 17th, 2018.
In total, 40 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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
| 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 on land near a coastal area (8 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 43 km (27 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 12/07/26 18:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000szvq
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260712_0000172
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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