On Friday Morning a Significant M5.8 Earthquake struck in the Maluku Sea 182km from Manado (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 23rd, 2026. Last updated July 25th, 2026.

In the morning of Friday July 24th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 182 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia. Around 2.8 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 139 kilometers (86 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 49 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°35'31"N 126°13'28"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 246 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.039 .
Depth:	49 km (31 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

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 2.8 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 800 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 2.7 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 131 kilometer (81 mi) west 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).

Major cities near this earthquake: Manado is located 182 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Ternate is located 131 km to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Gorontalo is located 352 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 IV.

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 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.

16 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 16 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.5 was detected 63 km (39 mi) south of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 13 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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 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 196 km (122 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 1st, 2026.

In total, 42 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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

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

Sources

Last updated 25/07/26 21:18 (). 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 us7000t2w3
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260723_0000383
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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