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Indonesia · Papua

M5.6 Earthquake near Sarmi, Papua (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2026-09-02 00:04:54 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Map

M5.6 Earthquake near Sarmi, Papua (Indonesia) · 2026-09-02 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.6 Earthquake near Sarmi, Papua (Indonesia) · 2026-09-02 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On September 2, 2026 at 00:04 UTC, a magnitude M5.6 earthquake occurred near Sarmi, Papua (Indonesia). With a focal depth of about 65 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS. Indonesia: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 75 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.5.

Details

ID
6c451b123b521f60a670048ffe9c54430aa89e1e
Magnitude
M5.6
Depth
64.6 km
UTC time
2026-09-02 00:04:54 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
State
Papua
City
Sarmi
County
Sarmi
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-3.21280, 139.37320
Temperature
22.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 64.6 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 64.6 km
Shallow
64.6 km
64.6 km — deeper than the regional average (43.5 km)
Regional average: 43.5 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.
Estimated population exposed
IV 188'322

Ground shaking

IV
Light · Intensity (MMI) IV
Felt by many, no damage.

Tectonic context

Located on the Maoke Plate.
Near the boundary Woodlark ↔ Maoke · about 43 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Wamena108.9 kmSW66'080
Jayapura167.4 kmNE410'852

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Bokondini AirportIndonesia · BUI · WAVB
    93.4 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-21

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours1
Strongest subsequent eventM4.2
M4.02026-09-02 10:45:53 UTC98.4 kmSarmi M4.02026-09-05 20:06:55 UTC102.3 kmSarmi M4.12026-09-05 21:33:10 UTC112.3 kmSinata M3.02026-09-06 06:22:58 UTC132.0 kmPapua M3.12026-09-07 20:39:13 UTC142.2 kmPapua M3.72026-09-08 18:56:55 UTC35.9 kmJayapura M3.52026-09-10 13:54:12 UTC144.5 kmBambar M3.92026-09-12 22:48:23 UTC138.3 kmSinokla M4.22026-09-16 12:28:51 UTC73.3 kmJayapura M2.62026-09-16 19:06:17 UTC61.3 kmJayapura M3.02026-09-17 21:09:01 UTC90.7 kmSp III / Nawamulia M4.22026-09-19 07:38:49 UTC105.4 kmSarmi

Comparison of seismic sources

4 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.3 to M5.6.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
GFZM5.410.0 km33.9 km
USGSM5.664.6 km0.0 km
EMSCM5.467.0 km32.1 km
RESIFM5.378.9 km53.3 km

Papua

Context for this earthquake

21 Sep 2025 – 21 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 683 Catalogue entries

Of 682 other entries for this area and period, 4 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#16
Earlier events M≥4213
Earlier events M≥555
Compared since2025-01-13

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M7.02025-10-16 05:48:55 UTC125.8 km194 km WNW of Abepura, Indonesia M6.72025-10-16 05:48:57 UTC115.6 kmSarmi M6.72025-10-16 05:48:56 UTC114.3 kmSarmi M6.52025-10-16 05:48:55 UTC125.9 km194 km WNW of Abepura, Indonesia M6.52025-10-16 05:48:55 UTC129.2 kmIrian Jaya, Indonesia [Land: Indonesia]

Historic earthquake map · Indonesia

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Indonesia

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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