In the night of Thursday October 29th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 237 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 117 kilometers (73 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 237 kilometer north-east of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 29, 2026 04:56 (Jayapura Time) - Oct 28, 2026 19:56 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 237 km NE of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°25'40"N 126°45'31"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 80 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite 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 Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia. Ternate is located 195 kilometer (121 mi) north of the epicenter.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 195 km (121 mi) S from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 208 km (129 mi) SE from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 237 km (147 mi) SW from epicenter |
Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 240 km (149 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 250 km (155 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
Before this earthquake struck, 3 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 7 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
2 days earlier Oct 27, 2026 04:33 (Jayapura Time) | 80 km (50 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
22 hrs earlier Oct 28, 2026 07:03 (Jayapura Time) | 97 km (60 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.9 |
7 hrs earlier Oct 28, 2026 22:20 (Jayapura Time) | 71 km (44 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Oct 29, 2026 04:56 (Jayapura Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
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.
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 21st, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 283 km (176 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 1st, 2026.
In total, 158 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 23 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 28/10/26 21:38 (). 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 us7000tttl
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261028_0000308
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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