Shallow M5.3 AFTERSHOCK hit in the Flores Sea near Ende (Indonesia) on Monday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 17th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.3 aftershock struck in the Flores Sea 69 kilometer from Ende, Indonesia around noon of Monday August 17th, 2026.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Flores Sea, 26 kilometers (16 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 69 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 17, 2026 11:36 (Makassar Time) - Aug 17, 2026 03:36 Universal Time.
Location:	69 km NW of Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°16'41"S 121°24'25"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 55 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.078 .
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

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ende in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Ende is located 69 kilometer (43 mi) northwest of the epicenter.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 7.7 earthquake struck 7 km (4 mi) southwest in advance of this 5.3 earthquake around 2 days earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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. In total, 44 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

Sources

Last updated 17/08/26 12:18 (). 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 usd0015ebi
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260817_0000132
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: