Reviewed by USGSIndonesia22d ago
M5.1 earthquake 23 km WSW of Padangsidempuan, Indonesia
Friday, September 4, 2026, 16:24:40 UTC · 1.302°N, 99.078°E
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 23 km WSW of Padangsidempuan, Indonesia on Friday, September 4, 2026, 16:24:40 UTC, at a depth of 122.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on August 18, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 122 km
- Intermediate
- 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
674 tons of TNT
That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
136 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and North Andes plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
122 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event; the largest was M5.2 on September 5, 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 620 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.678 km WSW of Singkil, IndonesiaMarch 28, 2005 · 236 km W of this epicenter
- 7.875 km E of Sinabang, IndonesiaApril 6, 2010 · 256 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.630 km WSW of Pariaman, IndonesiaSeptember 30, 2009 · 241 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 199 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.1171 km SSE of Teluk Dalam, IndonesiaApril 24, 2023 · 243 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1190 km SSW of Sibolga, IndonesiaNovember 17, 1984 · 170 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.095 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaApril 1, 1998 · 206 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0122 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 8, 1946 · 226 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,808 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2005M8.6
Sumatera: Sw
28 Mar 2005 · 236 km away
1,319 deaths$37 million damagetsunami
- 2009M7.5
Sumatra: Padang
30 Sep 2009 · 241 km away
1,117 deaths$2.2 billion damagetsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 187 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 145 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2007M6.4
Sumatra: Southern
6 Mar 2007 · 254 km away · intensity VIII
67 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 2022M6.1
W Sumatra: Pasaman, West Pasaman
25 Feb 2022 · 166 km away · intensity VII
27 deaths$1 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.