Shallow M5.9 Earthquake hit in the Gulf Of Aden 266km from Bosaso (Somalia) on Friday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 27th, 2026. Last updated October 15th, 2026.

Just after midnight of Friday August 28th, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.9 earthquake hit in the Gulf Of Aden 266 kilometer from Bosaso, Somalia. Such earthquakes in regions like this usually have a minimal impact on people and the economy. Yemen is also near its epicenter.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of Aden, 144 kilometers (90 mi) off the coast of Somalia, 266 kilometer north-east of Bosaso in Gobolka Bari. 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 28, 2026 12:07AM (Aden Time) - Aug 27, 2026 21:07 Universal Time.
Location:	211 km SE of Mukalla, Muhafazat Hadramaout, Yemen. Coordinates 13°15'34"N 50°33'37"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 37 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.051 .
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.

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 94% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 95% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Not many people felt this earthquake

All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Somalia .

MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
I	Not noticable	None
II	Very weak	None
III	Weak	Probably none
IV	Light	Likely none
V	Moderate	Very light
VI	Strong	Light
VII	Very Strong	Moderate
VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
IX	Violent	Heavy
X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

Yemen and Somalia are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Mukalla in Muhafazat Hadramaout, Yemen. Mukalla is located 211 kilometer (131 mi) south-east of the epicenter. Mukalla experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
211 km (131 mi) NW from epicenter	Mukalla Muhafazat Hadramaout, Yemen.	III Weak
212 km (132 mi) S from epicenter	Qandala Gobolka Bari, Somalia.	III Weak
266 km (165 mi) SW from epicenter	Bosaso Gobolka Bari, Somalia.

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 0.

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.

3 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 6 hrs later 3 km (1.9 mi) east of this earthquake.

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
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Aug 28, 2026 12:07AM (Aden Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	21 mins later Aug 28, 2026 12:28AM (Aden Time)	23 km (14 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	30 mins later Aug 28, 2026 12:38AM (Aden Time)	9 km (5 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	6 hrs later Aug 28, 2026 06:01AM (Aden Time)	3 km (1.9 mi) E from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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).

This is the strongest earthquake in 8 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 15th, 2018, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 141 km (88 mi) further north-east. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 5 years.

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 5.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 15/10/26 03:08 (). 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.