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M5.1 earthquake 23 km WSW of Padangsidempuan, North Sumatra, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 23 km WSW of Padangsidempuan, North Sumatra, Indonesia at 23:24 local time (16:24 UTC) on 4 Sept 2026, at a depth of 122 km, according to USGS.

Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-13 20:38 UTC · reviewed

Magnitude
5.1moderate
body-wave magnitude (mb)
Depth
122 km
Status
Reviewed
Origin time
2026-09-04 16:24:40 UTC
Local: 4 Sept 2026, 23:24:40 (Asia/Jakarta)
Epicentre
1.302° N, 99.078° E

Circles show this event and others within 45 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map

Nearby places

Distance and estimated shaking at nearby places
PlaceDistanceEst. shaking
PadangsidempuanNorth Sumatra, Indonesia · pop. 243,84323 kmIIIWeak
SibolgaNorth Sumatra, Indonesia · pop. 92,24459 kmIIIWeak
TarutungNorth Sumatra, Indonesia · pop. 39,50080 kmIIWeak
BandarNorth Sumatra, Indonesia · pop. 31,442112 kmIIWeak
PematangsiantarNorth Sumatra, Indonesia · pop. 279,198184 kmIIWeak
MedanNorth Sumatra, Indonesia · pop. 2,486,283257 kmIIWeak
PercutNorth Sumatra, Indonesia · pop. 311,063260 kmIIWeak
BinjaiNorth Sumatra, Indonesia · pop. 279,302264 kmIIWeak

Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 73 km.

Every agency's solution

Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS, which has been reviewed by an analyst.

AgencyMagnitudeDepthEpicentreTime offsetStatus
USGSheadlineUSGS NEIC via U.S. Geological Survey5.1 mb122 km1.30° N, 99.08° E–Reviewed

How big was it?

Felt by most people over a wide area. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.

It released roughly the energy of 674 t of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 122 km this was a intermediate-depth earthquake, which spreads shaking over a wider area but less intensely.

M5.1 releases about 32× the energy of M4.1, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 674 t of TNT vs 21 t of TNT.

Each square is the energy of one M4.1. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.

Aftershocks and nearby activity

No later earthquakes have been recorded within 45 km so far. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.

Did you feel it?

Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.

Reports close 14 days after an earthquake.

Reports on SeismoAtlas

No reports yet.

Event id us7000teck. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:13 UTC. Solutions: USGS (usgs:us7000teck). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M5.1 earthquake 23 km WSW of Padangsidempuan, North Sumatra, Indonesia”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/us7000teck-m5-1-earthquake-23-km-wsw-of-padangsidempuan-north-sumatra-indonesia, data from USGS.

JSON: /api/v1/events/us7000teck. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.