Significant M5.7 Earthquake struck on Wednesday Night in the Maluku Sea 184km from Manado (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 4th, 2026. Last updated August 24th, 2026.

In the early morning of Wednesday August 5th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.7 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 184 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia. Roughly 2.5 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 105 kilometers (65 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 184 kilometer east of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 5, 2026 05:16 (Jayapura Time) - Aug 4, 2026 20:16 Universal Time.
Location:	184 km east of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°30'4"N 126°30'9"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 .
Depth:	34 km (21 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 2.5 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 2.5 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 5,780 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.5 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia. Ternate is located 126 kilometer (78 mi) northwest 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

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. 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 3 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:

• Bitung, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 2 people.
• Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.

13 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 13 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 31 km (19 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 18 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.7

This main shock was prefaced by 13 smaller foreshocks. A 3.7 magnitude earthquake hit 16 hrs earlier nearby.

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.

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 July 3rd, 2026, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 111 km (69 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 1st, 2026.

In total, 44 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

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 24/08/26 22:18 (). 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 us6000ti49
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260804_0000293
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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