A shallow and significant M5.6 earthquake struck in the Halmahera Sea 172 kilometer from Ternate, Indonesia in the late afternoon of Tuesday September 1st, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.1 million people.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Halmahera Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (6 mi offshore), 172 kilometer south-east of Ternate in North Maluku. 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: | Sep 1, 2026 17:22 (Jayapura Time) - Sep 1, 2026 08:22 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 172 km SE of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°10'7"N 128°48'19"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.6 Detected by 76 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | VII
Very Strong 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 1.1 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 1.1 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.
The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 9,110 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 1,020 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 970,100 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 104,000 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 6,700 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 9,110 | 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 . Sofifi in North Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 152 kilometer (94 mi) south-east of Sofifi. The intensity of shaking and damage in Sofifi is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 152 km (94 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
III
Weak |
| 172 km (107 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
III
Weak |
| 297 km (185 mi) SE from epicenter |
Sorong West Papua, Indonesia. |
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 VI.
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 4th, 2026, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 296 km (184 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on July 14th, 2019.
In total, 26 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 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
| 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 5.6. 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 02/09/26 05:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000tdav
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260901_0000097
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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