Earthquakes medium

M 5.6 Earthquake 78 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia

Source: USGS · Indonesia

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 78 km NNE of Tobelo. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.6 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,720 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.6 event ranks stronger than 91% of them (rank #123 by magnitude).

30 seconds on this earthquake report

Magnitude
M 5.6
USGS class
Moderate
Location
78 km NNE of Tobelo
Archive rank
#123 of 1,720
Source
USGS
Published
September 14, 2026
MODERATE

Sits above 91% of the 1,720 earthquakes in the archive by magnitude; 122 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 5.6 mww earthquake occurred at 12:18 UTC on September 14, 2026, at coordinates 2.4223 latitude, 128.1704 longitude. The event was located 78 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia, and registered a depth of 162 km.

Location Details

The earthquake was centered 78 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia. Its coordinates are 2.4223°N, 128.1704°E. At 162 km depth, this is classified as a deep earthquake (greater than 70 km).

Impact Assessment

One felt report was received with a maximum reported intensity of III (cdi 3.3) and instrumental intensity MMI 3.397. The alert level is green. No tsunami was generated (tsunami flag: 0).

What You Should Know

This was a moderate earthquake. Deep events at this magnitude are typically felt over a wide area but rarely cause significant damage.

Source

Data from USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000thcs

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

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Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Similar body length

Nearest notices by article body length (892 characters here).

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Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to September 14, 2026.

Yellow Storm Surge Warning for Tuktoyaktuk Coastline (Sep 14, 2026) medium Road Weather Alert: Central Plateau, South East and Upper Derwent Valley, TAS (Sep 14, 2026) medium MVA/Transport Alert on Kyola Rd, Kulnura medium Bush Fire Advice for Anna Av, Warrawong medium

Common Questions

Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.

What magnitude was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 5.6 mww earthquake struck 78 km NNE of Tobelo, Indonesia, at a depth of 162 km on September 14, 2026.
What does an M5.6 "Moderate" reading actually indicate? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.6 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.
Is this earthquake stronger or weaker than others in the archive? ▾
This is the #123 strongest of the 1,720 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 91% of them and weaker than 122 others.
Was Tobelo likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 78 km NNE of Tobelo. 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

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AirNow (EPA / NOAA)

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National Weather Service

Active watches, warnings, and advisories, NOAA

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference behind every AQI category