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M 5.5 Earthquake Strikes 44 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia

Source: USGS · Indonesia

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 44 km NNE of Ruteng. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.5 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,720 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.5 event ranks stronger than 89% of them (rank #154 by magnitude).

Read this earthquake report in 30 seconds

Magnitude
M 5.5
USGS class
Moderate
Location
44 km NNE of Ruteng
Archive rank
#154 of 1,720
Source
USGS
Published
August 31, 2026
MODERATE

Sits above 89% of the 1,720 earthquakes in the archive by magnitude; 153 ran stronger.

Record status: a snapshot from USGS, not a final record. Check USGS's own event page for aftershocks and any later revision to the magnitude shown here.

What Happened

A magnitude 5.5 mb earthquake struck 44 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia, on August 31, 2026, at 12:03:28 UTC. The event was recorded at a depth of 10 km.

Location Details

The earthquake was centered at latitude -8.241, longitude 120.6119. This location is 44 km north-northeast of Ruteng, Indonesia. A depth of 10 km is classified as shallow (less than 20 km).

Impact Assessment

The USGS assigned a green alert level. No tsunami advisory was issued (tsunami field: 0). No felt reports were recorded.

What You Should Know

Earthquakes of this magnitude can produce noticeable shaking. Residents in the area should follow standard safety procedures during seismic events.

Source

USGS Event Page

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

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Similar notices nationwide by 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 (784 characters here).

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Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to August 31, 2026.

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Questions & Answers

Questions readers often have about this USGS earthquake report.

What was the magnitude of this event? ▾
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake occurred 44 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia, at a depth of 10 km on August 31, 2026.
What does a magnitude 5.5 ("Moderate") earthquake mean? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.5 as "Moderate" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are felt over a wide area and can cause significant damage near the epicenter, particularly to older or unreinforced buildings.
Where does this event rank against Areazine's other recorded earthquakes? ▾
This is the #154 strongest of the 1,720 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 89% of them and weaker than 153 others.
Was Ruteng likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 44 km NNE of Ruteng. 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.

Where this data comes from

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