In the evening of Sunday August 9th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 266 kilometer from Bandar Lampung, Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 65 kilometers (40 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 266 kilometer west of Bandar Lampung in Lampung. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Aug 9, 2026 22:15 (Jakarta Time) - Aug 9, 2026 15:15 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 266 km west of Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia. Coordinates 5°46'42"S 102°53'12"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.086 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite 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
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Pagar Alam in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Pagar Alam is located 199 kilometer (124 mi) south of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Bandar Lampung is located 266 km to the east. Bengkulu is located 230 km to the north. Lubuklinggau is located 276 km to the north.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 199 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Pagar Alam South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 229 km (142 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tanjungagung South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 230 km (143 mi) N from epicenter |
Bengkulu Bengkulu, Indonesia. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NE from epicenter |
Baturaja South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 233 km (145 mi) N from epicenter |
Lahat South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 245 km (152 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kotabumi Lampung, Indonesia. |
| 260 km (162 mi) N from epicenter |
Curup Bengkulu, Indonesia. |
| 266 km (165 mi) E from epicenter |
Bandar Lampung Lampung, Indonesia. |
| 276 km (171 mi) N from epicenter |
Lubuklinggau South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 277 km (172 mi) E from epicenter |
Terbanggi Besar Lampung, Indonesia. |
| 278 km (173 mi) E from epicenter |
Metro Lampung, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 20 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4 was detected 22 km (14 mi) west of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 3 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.2
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
3 days earlier Aug 7, 2026 06:57 (Jakarta Time) | 28 km (18 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Aug 9, 2026 22:15 (Jakarta Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
20 mins later Aug 9, 2026 22:35 (Jakarta Time) | 22 km (14 mi) W from Main Shock. |
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.
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.
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 7th, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 260 km (162 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on November 18th, 2022.
In total, 42 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 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
| 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 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 10/08/26 04:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tjfj
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260809_0000240
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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