M 5.3 Earthquake 68 km NNW of Ende, Indonesia
Areazine synthesizes this USGS earthquake report directly from USGS's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A magnitude 5.3 mb earthquake struck 68 km NNW of Ende, Indonesia, at a depth of 10 km.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on August 17, 2026 and geographically references Indonesia. Its severity classification of "medium" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Earthquakes - determines the monitoring protocol behind it, which shapes what follow-up action (checking for structural damage, watching for aftershocks, reviewing local building codes) is relevant and which agency holds authority over the assessment.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are earthquake, seismic, usgs, Indonesia.
What Happened
A magnitude 5.3 mb earthquake occurred 68 km NNW of Ende, Indonesia, on 2026-08-17 at 12:56:39 UTC. The event was recorded at a depth of 10 km.
Location Details
The earthquake was located at coordinates -8.278 latitude, 121.407 longitude. The 10 km depth classifies it as shallow (less than 20 km).
Impact Assessment
No felt reports, tsunami advisory, or alert level information were available in the source data. The tsunami flag was recorded as 0.
What You Should Know
Earthquakes of this magnitude are classified as light and are typically noticeable but cause little to no damage. Aftershocks are possible following any earthquake.
Source
Data from USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usd0015ebi
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
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