On Saturday Night an Unusually powerful M7.7 Earthquake struck in the Flores Sea near Ende (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 14th, 2026. Last updated August 16th, 2026.

In the early morning of Saturday August 15th, 2026, an unusually powerful MAG-7.7 earthquake hit in the Flores Sea 68 kilometer from Ende, Indonesia. Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Flores Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (12 mi offshore), 68 kilometer northwest of Ende 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:	Aug 15, 2026 05:58 (Makassar Time) - Aug 14, 2026 21:58 Universal Time.
Location:	68 km NW of Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°18'36"S 121°21'6"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.7 Detected by 92 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.032 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IX Violent On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential Tsunami Risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. This earthquake checks all the likely tsunami risk factors: under sea, at a magnitude of MAG-6.5+ and at a shallow depth.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Significant impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 41% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1 and 10,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 39% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 98% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 10,000 million USD.

Roughly 22 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 22 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage may have been experienced by an estimated 138,900 people. At VIII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 14 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Indonesia , around 20 million people, with impact levels up to VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage). In Timor-Leste , around 1.5 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Ende in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 68 kilometer (42 mi) northwest of Ende. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ende is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Makassar is located 411 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Denpasar is located 676 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Labuan Bajo is located 162 km to the west and experienced an intensity of VI (strong shaking, probably light damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

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 VIII.

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 41 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 41 people have reported shaking in 17 places in 3 countries (Indonesia, East Timor, Philippines).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Ruteng, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 13 people.
• Kuta, Bali, Indonesia: 5 people.
• Ubud, Bali, Indonesia: 4 people.
• Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia: 3 people.
• Waingapu, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 2 people.
• Dili, Dili, East Timor: 2 people.
• Praya, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia: 2 people.
• Gedangan, Jawa Timur, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines: 1 person.
• Kupang, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 1 person.

396 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 396 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 30 mins later 24 km (15 mi) east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.6

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.

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 7.7 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Sources

Last updated 16/08/26 00:38 (). 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 us6000tkt2
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260814_0000299
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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