Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck on Friday Evening 211km from Jayapura in Indonesia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 24th, 2026.

In the evening of Friday July 24th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.4 earthquake hit under land 211 kilometer from Jayapura in Indonesia. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.8 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 211 kilometer (131 mi) west of Jayapura in Papua. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 24, 2026 21:14 (Jayapura Time) - Jul 24, 2026 12:14 Universal Time.
Location:	211 km west of Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°33'26"S 138°48'57"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 133 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.051 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to 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 1.8 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 1.8 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 130 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.3 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 . Located 202 kilometer (126 mi) west of the epicenter of this earthquake, Abepura (Papua, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

12 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 12 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 9 km (6 mi) south-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 13 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 5.1

This main shock was prefaced by 41 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 1 hr before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-5.3 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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

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 1st, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 55 km (34 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on October 16th, 2025.

In total, 43 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 24/07/26 23:38 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000t30r
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260724_0000181
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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