Reviewed by USGSIndonesia25d ago
M5.4 earthquake 96 km SE of Maba, Indonesia
Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 08:22:20 UTC · 0.119°N, 128.940°E
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 96 km SE of Maba, Indonesia on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 08:22:20 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on July 3, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.4
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
106 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Birds Head and Philippine Sea plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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
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
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.
- IV · Light shaking
- 39,000 people
- III · Weak shaking
- 40,000 people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- MabaPopulation 13,000III · Weak
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 907 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 · 257 km N of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 238 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4193 km W of Sorong, IndonesiaOctober 7, 1923 · 163 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.360 km WNW of Sorong, IndonesiaNovember 10, 1925 · 222 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2155 km SSE of Sofifi, IndonesiaJuly 14, 2019 · 128 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1197 km SSE of Sofifi, IndonesiaApril 16, 1963 · 155 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1204 km SSE of Sofifi, IndonesiaApril 16, 1963 · 164 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaMarch 27, 1949 · 294 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 54 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 197 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1994M7.0
Kau
21 Jan 1994 · 167 km away
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2019M7.3
Molucca Islands: N
14 Jul 2019 · 119 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1994M6.8
Halmahera
8 Oct 1994 · 187 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2017M5.8
North Maluku: Morotai
18 Nov 2017 · 275 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 2003M7.0
Morotai, Berebere, Daruba
26 May 2003 · 249 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.