M5.2 earthquake 131 km WNW of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 131 km WNW of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia at 15:20 local time (06:20 UTC) on 17 Sept 2026, at a depth of 10 km, according to USGS.
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-27 06:19 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 5.2moderate
body-wave magnitude (mb) - Depth
- 10 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-17 06:20:48 UTC
- Local: 17 Sept 2026, 15:20:48 (Asia/Jayapura)
- Epicentre
- 1.279° N, 126.313° E
Circles show this event and others within 50 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| TernateNorth Maluku, Indonesia · pop. 210,836 | 131 km | IIIWeak |
| BitungNorth Sulawesi, Indonesia · pop. 225,134 | 133 km | IIIWeak |
| AirmadidiNorth Sulawesi, Indonesia · pop. 31,446 | 149 km | IIIWeak |
| ManadoNorth Sulawesi, Indonesia · pop. 458,582 | 164 km | IIWeak |
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 158 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.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGSheadlineUSGS NEIC via U.S. Geological Survey | 5.2 mb | 10 km | 1.28° N, 126.31° 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 951 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 10 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M5.2 releases about 32× the energy of M4.2, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 951 t of TNT vs 30 t of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M4.2. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
1 later earthquake within 50 km; the largest was M4.6 5 days ago. 1 in the 7 days before. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M5.2
1 later earthquake nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 150.04 | 4.6 | 48 |
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Reports on SeismoAtlas
No reports yet.
Event id us7000thzp. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:11 UTC. Solutions: USGS (usgs:us7000thzp). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M5.2 earthquake 131 km WNW of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/us7000thzp-m5-2-earthquake-131-km-wnw-of-ternate-north-maluku-indonesia, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/us7000thzp. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.