Reviewed by USGSTimor Leste15d ago
M5.9 earthquake 253 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor Leste
Friday, September 11, 2026, 11:56:23 UTC · 7.286°S, 128.938°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 253 km ENE of Lospalos, Timor Leste on Friday, September 11, 2026, 11:56:23 UTC, at a depth of 111.8 km (intermediate). USGS received 8 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 24, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 112 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 8
- Max intensity III
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (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
11 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
80 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: intermediate
112 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | III · Weak | 3 | 616 km |
| Coonawarra, Northern Territory, Australia | II · Weak | 3 | 612 km |
| Humpty Doo-MacMinns Lagoon, Northern Territory, Australia | II · Weak | 1 | 634 km |
| Nguiu, Northern Territory, Australia | II · Weak | 1 | 540 km |
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
- 7,900 people
- III · Weak shaking
- 13,000 people
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 1,525 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 · 82 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7Banda SeaNovember 2, 1950 · 58 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, IndonesiaJanuary 9, 2023 · 121 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6196 km S of Ambon, IndonesiaJanuary 27, 2006 · 220 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaJune 3, 1927 · 188 km E of this epicenter
- 7.3145 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteAugust 30, 1917 · 145 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3125 km NNE of Lospalos, Timor LesteDecember 29, 2021 · 153 km W of this epicenter
- 7.3281 km WSW of Tual, IndonesiaDecember 20, 1992 · 179 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 68 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1852M8.3
Maluku: Bandanaira
25 Nov 1852 · 244 km away · intensity IX
60 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1763
Bandaneira
12 Sep 1763 · 185 km away · intensity X
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2023M7.6
Banda Sea
9 Jan 2023 · 124 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1975M5.9
Maluku: Bandanaira
15 Jan 1975 · 280 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1963M8.3
Banda Sea
4 Nov 1963 · 85 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1918M8.1
Banda Sea
18 Nov 1918 · 33 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.