Deep in the night of Friday September 11th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit in the Timor Sea 83 kilometer from Lospalos, Timor-Leste.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Timor Sea, 53 kilometers (33 mi) off the coast of Timor-Leste, 83 kilometer east of Lospalos in Lautém. 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 11, 2026 03:44 (Dili Time) - Sep 10, 2026 18:44 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 83 km east of Lospalos, Lautém, Timor-Leste. Coordinates 8°35'29"S 127°45'2"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 97 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.059 . |
| 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 Timor-Leste . Lospalos in Lautém, Timor-Leste is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 83 kilometer (52 mi) east of Lospalos.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 83 km (52 mi) W from epicenter |
Lospalos Lautém, Timor-Leste. |
| 143 km (89 mi) W from epicenter |
Baukau Baucau, Timor-Leste. |
| 151 km (94 mi) W from epicenter |
Venilale Baucau, Timor-Leste. |
| 239 km (149 mi) W from epicenter |
Dili Díli, Timor-Leste. |
| 241 km (150 mi) W from epicenter |
Aileu Aileu, Timor-Leste. |
| 265 km (165 mi) W from epicenter |
Likisá Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
| 280 km (174 mi) W from epicenter |
Maubara Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
| 282 km (175 mi) W from epicenter |
Maliana Bobonaro, Timor-Leste. |
| 285 km (177 mi) W from epicenter |
Suai Cova Lima, Timor-Leste. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
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.
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 24th, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 218 km (136 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on December 29th, 2021.
In total, 41 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
| 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 5.3. 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 11/09/26 10:18 (). 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 us7000tgf2
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260910_0000303
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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