In the evening of Saturday September 5th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 82 kilometer from Padangsidempuan, Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 33 kilometers (21 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 82 kilometer southwest of Padangsidempuan in North Sumatra. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 92 km.
| Date and Time: | Sep 5, 2026 21:06 (Jakarta Time) - Sep 5, 2026 14:06 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 82 km SW of Padangsidempuan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°3'27"N 98°36'34"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 64 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.072 . |
| Depth: | 92 km (57 mi) An intermediate 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 . Sibolga in North Sumatra, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 78 kilometer (48 mi) south of Sibolga.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Medan is located 281 km to the north. Padang is located 296 km to the south-east. Padangsidempuan is located 82 km to the north-east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 78 km (48 mi) N from epicenter |
Sibolga North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 82 km (51 mi) NE from epicenter |
Padangsidempuan North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 164 km (102 mi) NW from epicenter |
Singkil Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 168 km (104 mi) NE from epicenter |
Bandar North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 179 km (111 mi) NE from epicenter |
Rantauprapat North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 205 km (127 mi) N from epicenter |
Tongging North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 218 km (135 mi) N from epicenter |
Pematangsiantar North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 228 km (142 mi) N from epicenter |
Kabanjahe North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 237 km (147 mi) N from epicenter |
Pekan Bahapal North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 238 km (148 mi) N from epicenter |
Berastagi North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 242 km (150 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kisaran North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 248 km (154 mi) SE from epicenter |
Bukittinggi West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 250 km (155 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tanjungbalai North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 251 km (156 mi) SE from epicenter |
Pariaman West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 254 km (158 mi) NE from epicenter |
Teluk Nibung North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 260 km (162 mi) N from epicenter |
Tebingtinggi North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 266 km (165 mi) SE from epicenter |
Payakumbuh West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 273 km (170 mi) N from epicenter |
Deli Tua North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 280 km (174 mi) N from epicenter |
Sunggal North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 281 km (175 mi) N from epicenter |
Medan North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 282 km (175 mi) N from epicenter |
Perbaungan North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 283 km (176 mi) N from epicenter |
Binjai North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 287 km (178 mi) N from epicenter |
Percut North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 296 km (184 mi) SE from epicenter |
Padang West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 297 km (185 mi) N from epicenter |
Labuhan Deli North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 298 km (185 mi) E from epicenter |
Balai Pungut Riau, Indonesia. |
| 298 km (185 mi) N from epicenter |
Stabat North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 22 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.1
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
22 hrs earlier Sep 4, 2026 23:24 (Jakarta Time) | 60 km (37 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Sep 5, 2026 21:06 (Jakarta Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
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.
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 18th, 2026, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 195 km (121 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on April 24th, 2023.
In total, 43 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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
| 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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 92 km (57 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 05/09/26 17:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000tejg
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260905_0000174
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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