Earthquake.now

M4.6 Earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — 08 September 2026

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.6 was recorded near Ruteng, Indonesia on , with an epicentre 54 km north-northeast of Ruteng, at a focal depth of 17.5 km. It ranked as the 122nd strongest of 198 earthquakes recorded in Indonesia in the preceding 30 days.

4.6 Light

Time (UTC): 2026-09-08 21:42:22

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.6 (light)

Focal depth: 17.5 km (shallow)

Epicentre: -8.1535, 120.6580

Location: 54 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia

Country: Indonesia

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake radiates roughly 120 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 326, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 05:44 local solar time at the epicentre, around dawn.

This event was shallower than 67% of the 1,518 earthquakes recorded in Indonesia in our catalogue and stronger than 49% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -8.1535, 120.6580 — 54 km north-northeast of Ruteng. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.6 earthquake 4 km west-southwest of here on 30 August 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Ruteng (50 km south-southwest), Labuan Bajo (102 km west-southwest), Komodo (119 km west-southwest) and Manggarai (145 km west).

Why the 17 km depth matters

At 17 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.6 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

212 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.7 event near Ende on 14 August 2026. This M4.6 event released about 44,668 times less energy than that event.

148 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 143 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the September 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Indonesia during September 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Indonesia

All recorded earthquakes in Indonesia →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Ruteng?

It measured magnitude 4.6 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.6 earthquake radiates roughly 120 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Ruteng?

The focus was 17 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Ruteng earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.6 and a focal depth of 17 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Ruteng happen?

08 September 2026 at 21:42 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

How often do earthquakes happen near Ruteng?

212 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.7 event near Ende on 14 August 2026. This M4.6 event released about 44,668 times less energy than that event.