Reviewed by USGSIndonesia7d ago
M5.2 earthquake 210 km WNW of Abepura, Indonesia
Saturday, September 19, 2026, 04:18:35 UTC · 1.856°S, 138.888°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 210 km WNW of Abepura, Indonesia on Saturday, September 19, 2026, 04:18:35 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on September 2, 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
20 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Woodlark and Maoke 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake 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 841 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.21914 Biak EarthquakeMay 26, 1914 · 217 km W of this epicenter
- 8.11996 Biak, Indonesia EarthquakeFebruary 17, 1996 · 241 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8230 km W of Abepura, IndonesiaJune 1, 1906 · 80 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.7120 km SW of Abepura, IndonesiaJanuary 10, 1971 · 178 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6158 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaOctober 26, 1926 · 121 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5143 km WSW of Abepura, IndonesiaMay 28, 1968 · 125 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.3195 km E of Biak, IndonesiaApril 2, 1947 · 144 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2250 km ESE of Biak, IndonesiaSeptember 19, 1950 · 86 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 311 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1996M8.2
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Biak, Supiori
17 Feb 1996 · 241 km away · intensity IX
164 deaths$4 million damagetsunami
- 1989M5.8
Kurima District, Baliem River
1 Aug 1989 · 296 km away
120 deaths$1 million damage
- 2010M7.0
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Japen
16 Jun 2010 · 263 km away · intensity VI
17 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1900M6.9
Nw. Irian Jaya
7 Oct 1900 · 268 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 2023M5.1
New Guinea: Irian Jaya: Jayapura
9 Feb 2023 · 205 km away · intensity VIII
4 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 2015M7.0
Papua
27 Jul 2015 · 95 km away · intensity VII
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.