Reviewed by USGSIndonesia12d ago
M5.6 earthquake 78 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia
Monday, September 14, 2026, 10:58:03 UTC · 2.422°N, 128.170°E
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 78 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia on Monday, September 14, 2026, 10:58:03 UTC, at a depth of 162.2 km (intermediate). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, 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 M5.7 on August 4, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 162 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 1
- Max intensity III
- Est. shaking
- III
- Weak (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
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
18 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Birds Head plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: intermediate
162 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia | III · Weak | 1 | 417 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.
- III · Weak shaking
- 247,000 people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- TobeloPopulation 34,000III · Weak
- GalelaPopulation 8,800III · Weak
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 2,361 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 285 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 36 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 241 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 266 km N of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 163 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5126 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJanuary 21, 2007 · 259 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 196 km W of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 275 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 27 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 51 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 205 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1994M7.0
Kau
21 Jan 1994 · 164 km away
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2007M7.5
Molucca Islands: N
21 Jan 2007 · 259 km away
4 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 2026M7.4
North Maluku; North Sulawesi
1 Apr 2026 · 254 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2017M5.8
North Maluku: Morotai
18 Nov 2017 · 5 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 2019M7.1
Molucca Islands: N
14 Nov 2019 · 215 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.