"BMKG: 2,278 earthquakes shake North Sulawesi and surrounding areas throughout April"

Manado – The BMKG Manado Geophysical Station recorded 2,278 earthquake events that shook North Sulawesi and surrounding areas throughout April 2026.

Based on hypocentre depth distribution, earthquake activity was dominated by shallow earthquakes occurring in the upper crust, said Muhammad Zulkifli, Head of the Data and Information Division of the BMKG Stasiun Geofisika Manado, in Manado on Wednesday.

The over-two-thousand shocks consisted of 2,150 shallow earthquakes and 125 intermediate earthquakes in two events.

In terms of magnitude, the earthquakes ranged from M1.6 to the largest at M7.6.

Of the total events, 42 earthquakes were felt by communities in Batang Dua, North Maluku and North Sulawesi.

The high number of events during this period was dominated by aftershocks from the main quake of M7.6 that occurred in the Batang Dua region.

By the end of April 2026, 1,958 aftershocks linked to this activity had been recorded.

Muhammad Zulkifli added that, based on the seismicity map and epicentre distribution, activity during April 2026 was concentrated in several main areas: the Maluku Sea, particularly Batang Dua, the Tomini Gulf and the Sulawesi Sea.

This concentration indicates high tectonic dynamics at plate boundaries and subduction zones around North Sulawesi and North Maluku.

The earthquake shaking was felt fairly widely across various areas, including Batang Dua, Ternate City, Bitung, Manado, Gorontalo, and other parts of North Sulawesi and Gorontalo.

Ternate City recorded intensity V–VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, with shaking felt by all residents, many of whom were startled and ran outside, and light damage such as cracked or fallen plaster.

Ibu District experienced intensity V MMI, with shaking felt by almost all residents and many waking during the event.

Manado City experienced intensity IV–V MMI, with shaking clearly felt by most residents and waking some people.

Bone Bolango Regency and Gorontalo Utara reported intensity III MMI, with shaking felt inside homes as if a large truck were passing by.

Meanwhile, Boalemo and Pohuwato reported intensity II–III MMI, with shaking felt by a few people and light objects hanging appearing to sway.