M5.7 earthquake 125 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, 20:16:37 UTC · 1.501°N, 126.502°E

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 125 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, 20:16:37 UTC, at a depth of 34.2 km (shallow). USGS received 3 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on July 23, 2026.

Magnitude: 5.7; Moderate · mww
Depth: 34 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 3; Max intensity IV
Est. shaking: IV; Light (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Green; Impact estimate
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

5 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

16 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

34 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
Bitung, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia	IV · Light	2	150 km
Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia	II · Weak	1	188 km

I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.

IV · Light shaking: 5,800 people
III · Weak shaking: 2.5 million people
II · Weak shaking: 29,000 people

Estimated shaking in nearby towns

BitungPopulation 219,000III · Weak
GalelaPopulation 8,800III · Weak
TobeloPopulation 34,000III · Weak
SofifiPopulation 2,000III · Weak
TernatePopulation 204,000III · Weak
TomohonPopulation 96,000III · Weak
AirmadidiPopulation 26,000III · Weak
ManadoPopulation 462,000III · Weak

After the main event

Aftershocks within 75 km

USGS lists 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on August 30, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 2,745 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 35 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,990 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 266 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 184 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 118 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
1994M7.0
Kau
21 Jan 1994 · 147 km away
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
2019M7.3
Molucca Islands: N
14 Jul 2019 · 287 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
1932M7.7
Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano
14 May 1932 · 142 km away · intensity VII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers