Reviewed by USGSIndonesia1d ago
M4.8 earthquake 42 km N of Ruteng, Indonesia
Friday, September 25, 2026, 19:39:29 UTC · 8.228°S, 120.430°E
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 42 km N of Ruteng, Indonesia on Friday, September 25, 2026, 19:39:29 UTC, at a depth of 14.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on September 21, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 14 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
15 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Timor plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
14 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
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event; the largest was M5.0 on September 26, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 627 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 · 267 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.866 km NNW of Ende, IndonesiaAugust 14, 2026 · 101 km E of this epicenter
- 7.837 km WNW of Maumere, IndonesiaDecember 12, 1992 · 164 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3Flores SeaDecember 14, 2021 · 210 km E of this epicenter
- 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 267 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1135 km NNE of Labuan Bajo, IndonesiaMay 24, 1990 · 96 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 246 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0133 km NNE of Pototano, IndonesiaJuly 5, 1911 · 294 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,167 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1992M7.8
Flores Region, Maumere, Babi
12 Dec 1992 · 164 km away · intensity XI
2,500 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1820M7.5
Sulawesi: Makasar
29 Dec 1820 · 209 km away · intensity X
500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.7
Flores Region
14 Aug 2026 · 102 km away · intensity VII
142 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 292 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 2003M6.5
Flores: Reo
25 Mar 2003 · 35 km away
4 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 2007M6.5
Sumbawa Island
25 Nov 2007 · 230 km away
3 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.