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Indonesia · North Sulawesi

M5.2 Earthquake near North Sulawesi (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2026-09-21 23:48:13 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

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

Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

North Sulawesi · North Sulawesi

Country overview

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near North Sulawesi (Indonesia) · 2026-09-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near North Sulawesi (Indonesia) · 2026-09-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.2 earthquake was recorded near North Sulawesi (Indonesia) on September 21, 2026 at 23:48 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by USGS. Indonesia: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 21 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.8.

Details

ID
c24846da9c2b51cdd35fecaea7a3350092d8134e
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-21 23:48:13 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
State
North Sulawesi
City
North Sulawesi
Source
usgs
Coordinates
4.57220, 125.37460
Temperature
28.0°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — shallower than the regional average (43.3 km)
Regional average: 43.3 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

Tectonic context

Located on the Sunda Plate.
Near the boundary Philippine Sea ↔ Sunda · about 256 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Taruna107.6 kmS35'307
General Santos172.8 kmN722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Awu
    Distance: 99 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'318 m ·Last eruption: 2004 ·Indonesia
  • Banua Wuhu
    Distance: 159 km ·Complex ·Elevation: -5 m ·Last eruption: 1919 ·Indonesia
  • Melebingoy
    Distance: 179 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'824 m ·Last eruption: 1641 ·Philippines
  • Karangetang Activity reported
    Distance: 199 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'797 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Indonesia
  • Matutum
    Distance: 202 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'262 m ·Last eruption: 1290 ·Philippines
  • Ruang
    Distance: 252 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 703 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Indonesia

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 hours5
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M3.22026-09-22 19:51:57 UTC133.4 kmGlan M3.12026-09-23 17:18:00 UTC125.5 kmGlan M3.12026-09-23 19:03:18 UTC43.2 kmKEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA M3.12026-09-24 12:20:55 UTC73.8 kmMINDANAO, PHILIPPINES M3.02026-09-24 13:42:27 UTC97.1 kmSarangani M3.92026-09-25 22:51:13 UTC120.6 kmNorth Sulawesi M4.02026-09-26 10:25:18 UTC96.5 kmSarangani M3.52026-09-26 14:09:48 UTC66.5 kmMINDANAO, PHILIPPINES M3.12026-09-27 19:49:40 UTC111.8 kmGlan M3.32026-09-28 09:19:39 UTC21.4 kmNorth Sulawesi M3.32026-09-28 14:44:00 UTC63.4 kmMINDANAO, PHILIPPINES M4.22026-09-29 10:48:16 UTC83.2 kmSarangani

Comparison of seismic sources

4 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.2 to M5.3.

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

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
USGSM5.210.0 km0.0 km
ISCM5.210.0 km0.0 km
GFZM5.310.0 km13.3 km
EMSCM5.3171.0 km14.8 km

North Sulawesi

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 390 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#101
Earlier events M≥4517
Earlier events M≥5189
Compared since2025-01-04

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

Strongest earlier events

M8.02026-06-07 23:37:40 UTC119.1 km26 km SW of Kablalan, Philippines M7.92026-06-07 23:37:46 UTC124.6 kmGlan M7.92026-06-07 23:37:43 UTC121.4 kmPhilippines [Sea] M7.82026-06-07 23:37:41 UTC127.1 kmMindanao, Philippines M7.82026-06-07 23:37:41 UTC127.6 kmMINDANAO, PHILIPPINES

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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