Significant M5.7 Earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 182km from Manado (Indonesia) on Friday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 23rd, 2026. Last updated August 20th, 2026.

In the Maluku Sea 182 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia, a significant MAG-5.7 earthquake occurred in the morning of Friday July 24th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 2.8 million people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 140 kilometers (87 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 182 kilometer south-east of Manado in North Sulawesi. 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 24, 2026 07:58 (Jayapura Time) - Jul 23, 2026 22:58 Universal Time.
Location:	182 km SE of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°35'48"N 126°13'15"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 34 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.053 .
Depth:	43 km (26 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 2.8 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 2.8 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.

An estimated 2,683,000 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
124,000	II	Very weak	None
2,683,000	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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia. Ternate is located 131 kilometer (81 mi) west of the epicenter. 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).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
131 km (81 mi) E from epicenter	Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia.	III Weak
150 km (93 mi) E from epicenter	Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia.	III Weak
165 km (103 mi) NW from epicenter	Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak
177 km (110 mi) NW from epicenter	Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak
182 km (113 mi) NW from epicenter	Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak

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.

Shaking reported by 3 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have 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: 3 people.

9 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 9 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 72 km (45 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 5 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

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	3 days earlier Jul 21, 2026 16:50 (Jayapura Time)	91 km (56 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.5	2 days earlier Jul 21, 2026 21:36 (Jayapura Time)	80 km (50 mi) N from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 4.2	2 days earlier Jul 21, 2026 21:36 (Jayapura Time)	92 km (57 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.9	1 day earlier Jul 22, 2026 20:39 (Jayapura Time)	85 km (53 mi) N from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.1	14 hrs earlier Jul 23, 2026 17:36 (Jayapura Time)	91 km (57 mi) N from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Jul 24, 2026 07:58 (Jayapura Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.3	1 hr later Jul 24, 2026 09:26 (Jayapura Time)	82 km (51 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	9 hrs later Jul 24, 2026 16:48 (Jayapura Time)	8 km (5 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	12 hrs later Jul 24, 2026 20:03 (Jayapura Time)	10 km (6 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	19 hrs later Jul 25, 2026 02:34 (Jayapura Time)	85 km (53 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	20 hrs later Jul 25, 2026 03:53 (Jayapura Time)	18 km (11 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	1 day later Jul 25, 2026 10:56 (Jayapura Time)	68 km (42 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	2 days later Jul 25, 2026 20:22 (Jayapura Time)	44 km (27 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	2 days later Jul 26, 2026 13:21 (Jayapura Time)	72 km (45 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	2 days later Jul 26, 2026 18:43 (Jayapura Time)	80 km (50 mi) NW from Main Shock.

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.

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 191 km (118 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 1st, 2026.

In total, 42 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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.

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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 43 km (26 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/08/26 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.