Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste16d ago
M5.3 earthquake 80 km E of Lospalos, Timor Leste
Thursday, September 10, 2026, 18:44:40 UTC · 8.522°S, 127.729°E
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 80 km E of Lospalos, Timor Leste on Thursday, September 10, 2026, 18:44:40 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). USGS received 4 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 24, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 4
- Max intensity III
- 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
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
70 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Timor and Australian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aileu, Aileu, East Timor | III · Weak | 1 | 238 km |
| Liquiça, Liquiça, East Timor | III · Weak | 1 | 265 km |
| Coonawarra, Northern Territory, Australia | III · Weak | 1 | 548 km |
| Dili, Dili, East Timor | II · Weak | 1 | 236 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 972 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11963 Banda Sea EarthquakeNovember 4, 1963 · 270 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 248 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, IndonesiaJanuary 9, 2023 · 299 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 130 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3125 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteDecember 29, 2021 · 110 km N of this epicenter
- 7.3172 km NE of Lospalos, Timor LesteNovember 24, 1983 · 125 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3Banda SeaJune 24, 2019 · 284 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2187 km N of Baukau, Timor LesteFebruary 11, 1969 · 231 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 11 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1995M6.9
Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara
14 May 1995 · 295 km away · intensity VII
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1989M6.2
Timor: Alor
14 Jul 1989 · 290 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1963M8.3
Banda Sea
4 Nov 1963 · 275 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1908M6.6
Timor
23 Mar 1908 · 216 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1918M8.1
Banda Sea
18 Nov 1918 · 220 km away
- 1950M8.1
Banda Sea
2 Nov 1950 · 298 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.