Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste1d ago
M5.0 earthquake 124 km N of Metinaro, Timor Leste
Friday, September 25, 2026, 04:27:40 UTC · 7.404°S, 125.698°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 124 km N of Metinaro, Timor Leste on Friday, September 25, 2026, 04:27:40 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on September 10, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 1
- Max intensity III
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dili, Dili, East Timor | III · Weak | 1 | 130 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 743 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.563 km NW of Maubara, Timor LesteNovember 11, 2004 · 124 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 212 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3125 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteDecember 29, 2021 · 208 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3172 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteNovember 24, 1983 · 272 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 119 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.258 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor LesteSeptember 29, 1905 · 217 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1186 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteMay 15, 1962 · 278 km E of this epicenter
- 7.077 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 14, 1952 · 97 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 448 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1896
Timor: Alor Island
18 Apr 1896 · 141 km away · intensity VIII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M6.5
Timor: Pantar, Mount Sirung
26 Nov 1987 · 194 km away
125 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 2004M7.5
Kepulauan Alor
11 Nov 2004 · 124 km away
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1991M6.5
Timor: Kalabahi, Dili
4 Jul 1991 · 136 km away
28 deaths$8 million damage
- 1995M6.9
Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara
14 May 1995 · 137 km away · intensity VII
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2015M6.5
East Nusa Tenggara: Alor
4 Nov 2015 · 138 km away · intensity V
$9 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.