Reviewed by USGSIndonesia4mo ago
M4.5 earthquake 101 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 03:32:55 UTC · 1.330°N, 126.651°E
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 101 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 03:32:55 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.7 on May 4, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 35 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
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
39 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
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
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 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on May 20, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.365 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia3mo ago · 42 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.2136 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia3mo ago · 45 km N of this epicenter
- 4.6131 km E of Bitung, Indonesia4mo ago · 40 km W of this epicenter
- 4.4124 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia4mo ago · 29 km W of this epicenter
- 4.5117 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia4mo ago · 23 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2,690 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 · 236 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 135 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 50 km W of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 59 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5126 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJanuary 21, 2007 · 50 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 54 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 260 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4129 km ESE of Bitung, IndonesiaApril 1, 2026 · 53 km SW of this epicenter
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 · 290 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 201 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 93 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1994M7.0
Kau
21 Jan 1994 · 125 km away
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2019M7.3
Molucca Islands: N
14 Jul 2019 · 262 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.7
Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano
14 May 1932 · 135 km away · intensity VII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.