Reviewed by USGSIndonesia21d ago
M5.2 earthquake 77 km SSW of Sibolga, Indonesia
Saturday, September 5, 2026, 14:06:07 UTC · 1.057°N, 98.609°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 77 km SSW of Sibolga, Indonesia on Saturday, September 5, 2026, 14:06:07 UTC, at a depth of 91.9 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on August 18, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 92 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
193 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
92 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 668 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 · 202 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.875 km E of Sinabang, IndonesiaApril 6, 2010 · 228 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.630 km WSW of Pariaman, IndonesiaSeptember 30, 2009 · 242 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6212 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaDecember 28, 1935 · 154 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1171 km SSE of Teluk Dalam, IndonesiaApril 24, 2023 · 208 km S of this epicenter
- 7.1190 km SSW of Sibolga, IndonesiaNovember 17, 1984 · 116 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.095 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaApril 1, 1998 · 192 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0122 km W of Pariaman, IndonesiaMay 8, 1946 · 204 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 31 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,930 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2005M8.6
Sumatera: Sw
28 Mar 2005 · 202 km away
1,319 deaths$37 million damagetsunami
- 2009M7.5
Sumatra: Padang
30 Sep 2009 · 242 km away
1,117 deaths$2.2 billion damagetsunami
- 1861M8.5
Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I
16 Feb 1861 · 260 km away · intensity IX
1,105 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1861M7.0
Sw. Sumatra
9 Mar 1861 · 135 km away
950 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1797M8.0
Sw. Sumatra
10 Feb 1797 · 125 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2007M6.4
Sumatra: Southern
6 Mar 2007 · 272 km away · intensity VIII
67 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.