On Sunday Night a Significant M5.7 Earthquake struck in the Gulf Of Tomini 126km from Palu (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 15th, 2026. Last updated August 16th, 2026.

A significant M5.7 earthquake struck in the Gulf Of Tomini 126 kilometer from Palu, Indonesia just after midnight of Sunday August 16th, 2026. Roughly 2.5 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of Tomini, right off the coast of Indonesia (8 mi offshore), 126 kilometer north of Palu in Central Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 73 km.

Date and Time:	Aug 16, 2026 00:25 (Makassar Time) - Aug 15, 2026 16:25 Universal Time.
Location:	126 km north of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°9'15"N 120°15'26"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 .
Depth:	73 km (45 mi) An intermediate 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

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 2.5 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 690,700 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 1.8 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
23,560	II	Very weak	None
1,777,000	III	Weak	Probably none
690,700	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Palu in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Palu is located 126 kilometer (78 mi) north of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Palu is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
126 km (78 mi) S from epicenter	Palu Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.	IV Light
181 km (112 mi) S from epicenter	Poso Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak

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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

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 3 places, all within 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:

Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia: 1 person.
Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.
Palu, Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 13 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.7

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.7	13 hrs earlier Aug 15, 2026 11:01 (Makassar Time)	26 km (16 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Aug 16, 2026 00:25 (Makassar Time)	-

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 June 16th, 2026, when a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit 142 km (88 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on September 28th, 2018.

In total, 17 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 7 months.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 73 km (45 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

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.