On Monday Morning a Shallow M5.0 Earthquake struck near Labuan Bajo in Indonesia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 21st, 2026. Last updated October 11th, 2026.

Under land 80 kilometer from Labuan Bajo in Indonesia, a shallow and significant M5.0 earthquake occurred in the morning of Monday September 21st, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.2 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 80 kilometer (50 mi) east of Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara. 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 21, 2026 09:41 (Makassar Time) - Sep 21, 2026 01:41 Universal Time.
Location:	80 km east of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°18'42"S 120°35'24"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.0 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (2 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One person was injured and one building was destroyed in East Manggarai.

Based on scientific estimates by the 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 1.2 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 1.2 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 2,800 people were exposed to level VII. At this level, very strong shaking and likely moderate damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 1 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 36 kilometer (22 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ruteng (East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ruteng is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

126 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 126 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.7 was detected 69 km (43 mi) east of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 45 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.7 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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

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 19th, 2026, when a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 36 km (22 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on August 14th, 2026.

In total, 150 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 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 24 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 11/10/26 00:48 (). 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 us7000tiur
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260921_0000025
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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