Reviewed by USGSIndonesia5mo ago
M7.4 earthquake 129 km ESE of Bitung, Indonesia
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 22:48:13 UTC · 1.093°N, 126.235°E
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 129 km ESE of Bitung, Indonesia on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 22:48:13 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). USGS received 60 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IX (violent). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on January 21, 2007.
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Major · mww
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 60
- Max intensity IX
- Est. shaking
- VIII
- Severe (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.9 megatons of TNT
That is about 126 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3,981 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
6 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
35 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia | V · Moderate | 21 | 165 km |
| Ternate, Maluku Utara, Indonesia | VII · Very strong | 11 | 134 km |
| Bitung, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia | VII · Very strong | 10 | 128 km |
| Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | IV · Light | 2 | 669 km |
| Katangawan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | II · Weak | 2 | 573 km |
| Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia | VII · Very strong | 1 | 360 km |
| Tondano, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia | VI · Strong | 1 | 154 km |
| Tomohon, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia | VI · Strong | 1 | 164 km |
| Tidore, Maluku Utara, Indonesia | V · Moderate | 1 | 144 km |
| Cablalan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | IV · Light | 1 | 532 km |
| Poso, Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia | II · Weak | 1 | 669 km |
| Palu, Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia | II · Weak | 1 | 746 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.
- VI · Strong shaking
- 413,000 people
- V · Moderate shaking
- 1.7 million people
- IV · Light shaking
- 2.0 million people
- III · Weak shaking
- 258,000 people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- BitungPopulation 219,000VI · Strong
- ManadoPopulation 462,000V · Moderate
- AirmadidiPopulation 26,000V · Moderate
- TomohonPopulation 96,000V · Moderate
- TernatePopulation 204,000V · Moderate
- SofifiPopulation 2,000V · Moderate
- TobeloPopulation 34,000IV · Light
- SoasioPopulation 103,000IV · Light
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS lists 314 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on April 2, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.4119 km ESE of Bitung, Indonesia5mo ago · 10 km W of this epicenter
- 4.6112 km W of Ternate, Indonesia5mo ago · 22 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.6126 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia5mo ago · 168 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.6165 km SE of Bitung, Indonesia5mo ago · 104 km S of this epicenter
- 4.6106 km ESE of Bitung, Indonesia5mo ago · 25 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.6113 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia5mo ago · 57 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.1122 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia5mo ago · 11 km E of this epicenter
- 4.2108 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia5mo ago · 43 km NE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2,499 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 289 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 88 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 42 km N of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 108 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5126 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJanuary 21, 2007 · 6 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 84 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 277 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3108 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 5, 1908 · 105 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 32 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,989 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 298 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 160 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 123 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1994M7.0
Kau
21 Jan 1994 · 167 km away
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2019M7.3
Molucca Islands: N
14 Jul 2019 · 274 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.7
Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano
14 May 1932 · 88 km away · intensity VII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.