Shallow M5.2 Earthquake struck on Friday Evening in the Indian Ocean 255km from Depok (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 18th, 2026. Last updated October 11th, 2026.

In the Indian Ocean 255 kilometer from Depok, Indonesia, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake occurred in the evening of Friday September 18th, 2026. Christmas Island is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 139 kilometers (86 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 255 kilometer southwest of Depok in West Java. 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 18, 2026 21:36 (Jakarta Time) - Sep 18, 2026 14:36 Universal Time.
Location:	255 km SW of Depok, West Java, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°29'28"S 105°52'28"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 72 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 .
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

Indonesia and Christmas Island are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 183 kilometer (114 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Pelabuhanratu (West Java, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.

Major cities near this earthquake: Jakarta is located 275 km to the north. Bandung is located 259 km to the north-east. Bekasi is located 279 km to the north-east.

A complete list of nearby places is included below.

Overview of nearby places

2 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 3 hrs later 37 km (23 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

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

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 September 14th, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 28 km (17 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on August 2nd, 2019.

In total, 23 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 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

Sources

Last updated 11/10/26 02:18 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000tib8
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260918_0000209
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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