A shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 217 kilometer from Jayapura, Indonesia in the early afternoon of Saturday September 19th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of Indonesia (7 mi offshore), 217 kilometer west of Jayapura in Papua. 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 19, 2026 13:18 (Jayapura Time) - Sep 19, 2026 04:18 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 217 km west of Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°51'22"S 138°53'18"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 36 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.096 . |
| 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 Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Abepura in Papua, Indonesia. Abepura is located 211 kilometer (131 mi) northwest of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 211 km (131 mi) SE from epicenter |
Abepura Papua, Indonesia. |
| 217 km (135 mi) E from epicenter |
Jayapura Papua, Indonesia. |
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 83 km (52 mi) south of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.8
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Sep 19, 2026 13:18 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
3 hrs later Sep 19, 2026 16:38 (Jayapura Time) | 58 km (36 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
3 hrs later Sep 19, 2026 16:44 (Jayapura Time) | 83 km (52 mi) S 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.
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 September 2nd, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 158 km (98 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on October 16th, 2025.
In total, 56 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 2 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/09/26 09:28 (). 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 us7000tih8
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260919_0000042
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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