Reviewed by USGSIndonesia9d ago
M5.2 earthquake 132 km E of Bitung, Indonesia
Thursday, September 17, 2026, 06:20:48 UTC · 1.316°N, 126.309°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 132 km E of Bitung, Indonesia on Thursday, September 17, 2026, 06:20:48 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on September 14, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- 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
4 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Sunda 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
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 lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km since this event; the largest was M4.6 on September 24, 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 2,683 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 270 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7148 km SE of Tondano, IndonesiaMay 14, 1932 · 114 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7121 km E of Bitung, IndonesiaAugust 10, 1968 · 20 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.564 km NNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJune 25, 1907 · 97 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5126 km WNW of Ternate, IndonesiaJanuary 21, 2007 · 28 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5146 km NW of Ternate, IndonesiaAugust 14, 1986 · 58 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 253 km N of this epicenter
- 7.4129 km ESE of Bitung, IndonesiaApril 1, 2026 · 26 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 34 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,989 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 277 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 163 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1855
Maluku: Ternate Island
14 Jul 1855 · 124 km away · intensity IX
34 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1994M7.0
Kau
21 Jan 1994 · 162 km away
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2019M7.3
Molucca Islands: N
14 Jul 2019 · 285 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1932M7.7
Sulawesi: Kakas,Langowan,Poso,Tondano
14 May 1932 · 114 km away · intensity VII
7 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.