Significant M5.4 Earthquake hit 197km from Gorontalo in Indonesia on Sunday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 12th, 2026. Last updated August 8th, 2026.

In the evening of Sunday July 12th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit under land 197 kilometer from Gorontalo in Indonesia. Around 2.2 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 197 kilometer (122 mi) west of Gorontalo. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 12, 2026 21:46 (Makassar Time) - Jul 12, 2026 13:46 Universal Time.
Location:	197 km west of Gorontalo, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°9'2"N 121°24'3"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 162 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth:	35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (3 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Two people killed, three others injured, six houses destroyed and at least 246 homes and 13 buildings damaged in Buol.

Based on scientific estimates by the 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 2.2 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.2 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.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 17,460 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.4 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 . Gorontalo in Gorontalo, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 197 kilometer (122 mi) west of Gorontalo. The intensity of shaking and damage in Gorontalo 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 maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 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:

• Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.

5 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 5 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 15 km (9 mi) northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 15 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 2.8

Before this earthquake struck, 5 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3 was detected nearby this earthquake.

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.

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.

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 June 16th, 2026, when a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit 287 km (178 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on September 28th, 2018.

In total, 40 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 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 08/08/26 01:48 (). 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 us7000szvv
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260712_0000179
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: