Reviewed by USGSIndonesia18d ago
M5.2 earthquake 125 km NE of Ruteng, Indonesia
Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 15:36:34 UTC · 7.681°S, 121.120°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 125 km NE of Ruteng, Indonesia on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 15:36:34 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, with a maximum reported intensity of II (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on September 8, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 1
- Max intensity II
- 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
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
30 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Banda Sea and Timor plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruteng, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia | II · Weak | 1 | 125 km |
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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km since this event; the largest was M5.1 on September 19, 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 556 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 · 173 km E of this epicenter
- 7.866 km NNW of Ende, IndonesiaAugust 14, 2026 · 77 km S of this epicenter
- 7.837 km WNW of Maumere, IndonesiaDecember 12, 1992 · 123 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.3Flores SeaDecember 14, 2021 · 122 km E of this epicenter
- 7.270 km SE of Maumere, IndonesiaOctober 20, 1938 · 229 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1135 km NNE of Labuan Bajo, IndonesiaMay 24, 1990 · 91 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0199 km SSW of Katabu, IndonesiaMarch 3, 1927 · 150 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.0150 km NNE of Maumere, IndonesiaFebruary 27, 2015 · 162 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,164 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1992M7.8
Flores Region, Maumere, Babi
12 Dec 1992 · 123 km away · intensity XI
2,500 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1820M7.5
Sulawesi: Makasar
29 Dec 1820 · 246 km away · intensity X
500 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.7
Flores Region
14 Aug 2026 · 74 km away · intensity VII
142 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1982M5.9
Flores Island: Eastern
25 Dec 1982 · 230 km away
13 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 2003M6.5
Flores: Reo
25 Mar 2003 · 80 km away
4 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 2009M6.6
Sumabawa: Bima
8 Nov 2009 · 280 km away
2 deaths$2 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.