Reviewed by USGSIndonesia1mo ago
M7.8 earthquake 66 km NNW of Ende, Indonesia
Friday, August 14, 2026, 21:58:21 UTC · 8.336°S, 121.345°E
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 66 km NNW of Ende, Indonesia on Friday, August 14, 2026, 21:58:21 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 66 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IX (violent). The USGS PAGER alert is orange: significant casualties and damage are likely. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.9 on June 17, 1996.
- Magnitude
- 7.8
- Major · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 66
- Max intensity IX
- Est. shaking
- IX
- Violent (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Orange
- 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
7.6 megatons of TNT
That is about 502 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 15,849 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
37 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Banda Sea and Timor plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruteng, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia | VII · Very strong | 30 | 101 km |
| Ende, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia | IX · Violent | 7 | 67 km |
| Kuta, Bali, Indonesia | III · Weak | 5 | 681 km |
| Ubud, Bali, Indonesia | III · Weak | 4 | 670 km |
| Maumere, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia | VI · Strong | 3 | 100 km |
| Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia | III · Weak | 3 | 675 km |
| Waingapu, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia | IV · Light | 2 | 189 km |
| Praya, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia | III · Weak | 2 | 558 km |
| Dili, Dili, East Timor | II · Weak | 2 | 467 km |
| Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia | IV · Light | 1 | 1154 km |
| Bima, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia | III · Weak | 1 | 289 km |
| Mataram, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia | II · Weak | 1 | 574 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level orange: significant casualties and damage are likely.
- IX · Violent shaking
- 7,800 people
- VIII · Severe shaking
- 381,000 people
- VII · Very strong shaking
- 1.1 million people
- VI · Strong shaking
- 286,000 people
- V · Moderate shaking
- 2.1 million people
- IV · Light shaking
- 16 million people
- III · Weak shaking
- 6.3 million people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- RutengPopulation 54,000VIII · Severe
- MaumerePopulation 104,000VII · Very strong
- LungarPopulation 1,200VII · Very strong
- EndePopulation 87,000VII · Very strong
- JaongPopulation 2,200VII · Very strong
- PajoPopulation 13,000VII · Very strong
- MaunuraPopulation 5,000VI · Strong
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS lists 377 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.1 on August 14, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.645 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia14d ago · 74 km W of this epicenter
- 4.360 km ENE of Ruteng, Indonesia16d ago · 41 km W of this epicenter
- 4.647 km N of Ruteng, Indonesia18d ago · 92 km W of this epicenter
- 5.2125 km NE of Ruteng, Indonesia18d ago · 77 km N of this epicenter
- 5.351 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia18d ago · 84 km W of this epicenter
- 4.175 km NE of Ruteng, Indonesia20d ago · 46 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.436 km NNE of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia20d ago · 149 km W of this epicenter
- 4.559 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia21d ago · 75 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 585 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.9169 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaJune 17, 1996 · 191 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.837 km WNW of Maumere, IndonesiaDecember 12, 1992 · 63 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3Flores SeaDecember 14, 2021 · 127 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 169 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1135 km NNE of Labuan Bajo, IndonesiaMay 24, 1990 · 153 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 200 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0150 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaFebruary 27, 2015 · 175 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.9160 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaJune 7, 1991 · 182 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,164 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1992M7.8
Flores Region, Maumere, Babi
12 Dec 1992 · 63 km away · intensity XI
2,500 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1820M7.5
Sulawesi: Makasar
29 Dec 1820 · 298 km away · intensity X
500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.7
Flores Region
14 Aug 2026 · 3 km away · intensity VII
142 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 191 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 2003M6.5
Flores: Reo
25 Mar 2003 · 66 km away
4 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 2009M6.6
Sumabawa: Bima
8 Nov 2009 · 299 km away
2 deaths$2 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.