In the Maluku Sea 168 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia, a shallow and significant M5.1 aftershock occurred in the morning of Saturday October 10th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 118 kilometers (73 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 168 kilometer east of Manado in North Sulawesi. 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: | Oct 10, 2026 11:00 (Jayapura Time) - Oct 10, 2026 02:00 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 168 km east of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°24'58"N 126°21'36"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 111 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 . |
| 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 . Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 133 kilometer (83 mi) northwest of Ternate.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 133 km (83 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 153 km (95 mi) SE from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 161 km (100 mi) W from epicenter |
Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 168 km (104 mi) W from epicenter |
Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 173 km (107 mi) W from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-5.2 earthquake that struck 21 hrs earlier. That main earthquake hit 87 km (54 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this MAG-5.1 aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
14 hrs earlier Oct 8, 2026 23:54 (Jayapura Time) | 69 km (43 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.2 |
Oct 9, 2026 14:11 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
21 hrs later Oct 10, 2026 11:00 (Jayapura Time) | 87 km (54 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
2 days later Oct 11, 2026 06:14 (Jayapura Time) | 81 km (51 mi) NE 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. In total, 216 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 17 days.
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 5.1. 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 10/10/26 22:28 (). 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 us6000u1bs
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261010_0000036
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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