Earthquakes medium

M 5.0 Earthquake 34 km WNW of Luwuk, Indonesia

Source: USGS · Indonesia

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 34 km WNW of Luwuk. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.0 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,782 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.0 event ranks stronger than 55% of them (rank #627 by magnitude).

Read this earthquake report in 30 seconds

Magnitude
M 5.0
USGS class
Moderate
Location
34 km WNW of Luwuk
Archive rank
#627 of 1,782
Source
USGS
Published
September 21, 2026
MODERATE

Stronger than 55% of the 1,782 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive, weaker than 626 others.

Record status: USGS's reading at the moment of detection — the agency keeps revising magnitude, aftershock counts, and felt reports on its own event page as more data arrives.

What Happened

A M 5.0 mb earthquake struck 34 km WNW of Luwuk, Indonesia at 12:31 UTC on 2026-09-20 (Unix time 1789975867967). The event was reviewed by USGS and had a depth of 9.863 km.

Location Details

The epicenter was located at latitude -0.8563, longitude 122.4959. This places the quake 34 km west-northwest of Luwuk, Indonesia. The depth of 9.863 km is classified as shallow (less than 20 km).

Impact Assessment

No felt reports, tsunami advisory, or alert level data were available in the source. The tsunami flag was recorded as 0.

What You Should Know

Earthquakes of this magnitude are classified as moderate and can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings. Aftershocks are possible following any earthquake.

Source

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000tiw4 (USGS)

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

Related Earthquakes

All Earthquakes →

M 3.1 Earthquake 77 km WSW of Akhiok, Alaska

USGS · September 21, 2026

M 3.8 - 166 km S of Akhiok, Alaska

USGS · September 21, 2026

M 5.0 Earthquake 38 km E of Nobeoka, Japan

USGS · September 21, 2026

Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two cross-category peer sets, both computed from Areazine's own archive: notices with a similar body length, and notices near the same severity and agency date. These are drawn from other categories, not the same-feed Related list above.

Similar body length

Nearest notices by article body length (816 characters here).

Yellow Storm Surge Warning Issued for Yukon Coastline (Aug 18, 2026) 816 chars Baxter Pantoprazole Sodium Injection Recall Over CGMP Deviations 816 chars Stryker CHROMOPHARE Softlit Ring Surgical Light System Recall 816 chars Thuvera Laser Console Recall Issued by IPG Medical 816 chars

Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to September 21, 2026.

Yellow Fog Advisory for Cambridge Bay medium MVA/Transport Alert on Princes Hwy, Bodalla medium Flood/Storm/Tree Down on Illawarra Hwy, Robertson medium Assist Other Agency Alert for Eastaway Av, North Narooma medium

What People Ask

Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.

What magnitude was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 5.0 mb earthquake occurred 34 km west-northwest of Luwuk, Indonesia at a shallow depth of 9.9 km.
What does an M5.0 "Moderate" reading actually indicate? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.0 as "Moderate" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are often felt near the epicenter and can cause minor damage to vulnerable structures, though widespread damage is uncommon.
Is this earthquake stronger or weaker than others in the archive? ▾
This is the #627 strongest of the 1,782 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 55% of them and weaker than 626 others.
Was Luwuk likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 34 km WNW of Luwuk. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.

Source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow (EPA / NOAA)

Real-time AQI for every monitored U.S. location

National Weather Service

Active watches, warnings, and advisories, NOAA

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference behind every AQI category