Reviewed by USGSIndonesia5d ago
M5.0 earthquake 34 km WNW of Luwuk, Indonesia
Monday, September 21, 2026, 07:31:07 UTC · 0.856°S, 122.496°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 34 km WNW of Luwuk, Indonesia on Monday, September 21, 2026, 07:31:07 UTC, at a depth of 9.9 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.8 on August 15, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
165 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Banda Sea plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,054 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11939 Sulawesi EarthquakeDecember 21, 1939 · 99 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8160 km W of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJanuary 22, 1905 · 190 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.875 km NNW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaApril 18, 1990 · 231 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7120 km NE of Palu, IndonesiaMay 19, 1938 · 236 km W of this epicenter
- 7.7264 km ESE of Luwuk, IndonesiaNovember 29, 1998 · 299 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.689 km E of Luwuk, IndonesiaMay 4, 2000 · 123 km E of this epicenter
- 7.579 km NNW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaJune 20, 1991 · 230 km N of this epicenter
- 7.433 km NW of Gorontalo, IndonesiaNovember 8, 1941 · 180 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 28 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 235 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2000M7.6
Sulawesi: Luwuk, Banggai, Peleng,
4 May 2000 · 123 km away
54 deaths$30 million damagetsunami
- 1927M6.2
Sulawesi: Donggala
1 Dec 1927 · 194 km away · intensity VII
50 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2002M6.2
Sulawesi: Tojo
15 Aug 2002 · 135 km away
48 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1998M7.7
Mangole, Manado, Taliabu
29 Nov 1998 · 299 km away · intensity VII
41 deaths$200 million damagetsunami
- 1938M7.7
Sulawesi Island
19 May 1938 · 236 km away · intensity IX
17 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2012M6.3
Sulawesi: Sigi, Parigi Mountong
18 Aug 2012 · 272 km away
6 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.