Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Shakes North Maluku, Indonesia

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 jolted Halmahera Utara in Indonesia's Maluku Utara province on Friday morning, July 3, 2026. The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported the quake's epicenter was located 58 kilometers southwest of Pulaudoi, North Maluku, at a considerable depth of 100 kilometers.

Residents in Halmahera Utara experienced strong tremors, with intensity reported at III-IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale. This intensity means the shaking was felt by many people indoors and by some outdoors, causing items like glassware to break and windows and doors to rattle. Lesser tremors, at an intensity of III MMI, were felt in Ternate, Tidore, Sanana, and Morotai. Additionally, tremors measuring II-III MMI were reported in Kota Gorontalo, Gorontalo Utara, and Bone Bolango.

Fortunately, BMKG confirmed that the earthquake did not generate a tsunami. Wijayanto, Director of Earthquakes and Tsunamis at BMKG, stated that the earthquake's source mechanism analysis indicated it was a medium-depth earthquake resulting from rock deformation within the Molucca Sea plate. The fault movement was characterized as an oblique thrust fault.