In the evening of Sunday July 26th, 2026, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit in the Sawu Sea 26 kilometer from Kupang, Indonesia. Timor-Leste is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Sawu Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (9 mi offshore), 26 kilometer northwest of Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara. 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 26, 2026 18:57 (Makassar Time) - Jul 26, 2026 10:57 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 26 km NW of Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 10°0'25"S 123°26'25"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 90 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Indonesia and Timor-Leste are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 26 kilometer (16 mi) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 26 km (16 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kupang East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 94 km (58 mi) E from epicenter |
Soe East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 130 km (81 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kefamenanu East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 188 km (117 mi) NE from epicenter |
Atambua East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 205 km (127 mi) NW from epicenter |
Maumere East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 214 km (133 mi) E from epicenter |
Suai Cova Lima, Timor-Leste. |
| 225 km (140 mi) NE from epicenter |
Maliana Bobonaro, Timor-Leste. |
| 234 km (145 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ende East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 248 km (154 mi) NE from epicenter |
Maubara Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
| 262 km (163 mi) NE from epicenter |
Likisá Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
| 273 km (170 mi) NE from epicenter |
Aileu Aileu, Timor-Leste. |
| 284 km (176 mi) NE from epicenter |
Dili Díli, Timor-Leste. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 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:
- Kupang, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 2 people.
2 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 25 km (16 mi) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 36 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 3
Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.2
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
3 days earlier Jul 23, 2026 22:12 (Makassar Time) | 93 km (58 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
2 days earlier Jul 25, 2026 03:43 (Makassar Time) | 62 km (38 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Jul 26, 2026 18:57 (Makassar Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
36 mins later Jul 26, 2026 19:33 (Makassar Time) | 25 km (16 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
4 hrs later Jul 26, 2026 23:14 (Makassar Time) | 32 km (20 mi) E 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 April 21st, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 143 km (89 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on December 14th, 2021.
In total, 20 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 6 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
| 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 26/07/26 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000t3g4
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260726_0000161
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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