Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck on Saturday Night in the Indian Ocean 278km from Tangerang (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 21st, 2026.

In the Indian Ocean 278 kilometer from Tangerang, Indonesia, a shallow and significant M5.7 earthquake occurred in the night of Saturday August 22nd, 2026. Roughly 5.4 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 116 kilometers (72 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 278 kilometer southwest of Tangerang in Banten. 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 22, 2026 00:41 (Jakarta Time) - Aug 21, 2026 17:41 Universal Time.
Location:	278 km SW of Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia. Coordinates 7°35'1"S 104°33'0"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 5.4 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 5.4 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.

An estimated 0 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 5.1 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 . Located 195 kilometer (121 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Labuan (Banten, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. Labuan experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Jakarta is located 296 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tangerang is located 278 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). South Tangerang is located 279 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 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 IV.

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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place 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:

• Karawang, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

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.

This is the strongest earthquake in 5 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 14th, 2022, when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit 115 km (71 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on August 2nd, 2019.

In total, 4 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 years.

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 21/08/26 19:58 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000tmlu
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260821_0000371
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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