Two Massive Earthquakes Impact Indonesia on Same Day

By Sue Kientz

Three days ago on August 15, 2026, Indonesians experienced two exceptionally strong earthquakes within hours of each other, the first a destructive magnitude 7.7 earthquake (1) centered in Ende, Indonesia, and the second a lesser but still damaging magnitude 6.9 temblor located farther east of the first, near the town of Pematangsiantar. (2) The 7.7 quake has so far spawned an estimated 1,000 aftershocks, (3) with at least 53 people reported killed so far by the earthquakes. (4)

Indonesia is known for having a high amount of seismic activity, and therefore large earthquakes, throughout recorded history, mainly due to how the long string of Indonesian islands and land masses follow along a tectonic plate that is part of an active earthquake zone called the “Ring of Fire.” (5) This propensity for earthquakes and volcano activity (also caused by seismic activity) shows up in Indonesia’s “proclamation of independence” astrology chart, when the country moved to break away from the Netherlands on August 17, 1945. (6) In that chart, the Sun (23 Leo) is conjunct (0-7 degrees separated; an experience of union or identity) dwarf planet Haumea (17 Leo). Haumea was named for a Hawai’ian goddess of childbirth, whose children were produced from her various limbs. (7) Indeed, planetary Haumea was a larger celestial body that collided with another Kuiper Belt object, which created various smaller orbiting pieces of Haumea called the Haumea Family. (8) In this way, Haumea demonstrates that destruction also creates new formations, new life. Disasters such as earthquakes inevitably create new structures when humans rebuild after such tragic events occur. (9)

Another element of earthquakes is the sudden onset of shaking that, with high-magnitude quakes, can be so severe as to terrify and panic those at or near the epicenter. Indonesia’s Mercury retrograde (10) (0 Virgo) is semisquare dwarf planet Makemake (16 Cancer). Makemake represents higher level intelligence, invention, and highly unsettling experiences. (11) Makemake, simply put, is like Uranus on steroids. To illustrate, Uranus inventions are clever, useful, and mostly mechanical, like the telephone, television, and computer. Makemake inventions are groundbreaking, can be unsettling, even intimidating, like the smart phone, smart TV, and quantum computers.

These two large dwarf planets – the third- and fourth-largest after Pluto and Eris – are key players in understanding the great change imminent in Indonesia, signaled by these severe quakes. Haumea (2 Scorpio) is sesquiquadrate (135 degrees; troublesome, especially if with slow body) Indonesia’s Mars (16 Gemini) at the same time that Pluto (3 Aquarius) is also sesquiquadrate Indonesia’s Mars. While the minor squares are usually more irritations than major crises, Pluto and Haumea are exceptionally slow moving and have been forming mutually exact squares each year since 2022. The Pluto-Haumea squares continue until the end of the decade, creating serious tumult and change (Haumea) in areas where one felt secure and empowered (Pluto).  Add to that, Saturn (14 Aries) is sesquiquadrate Indonesia’s Mercury Retro and square Indonesia’s Makemake. This describes formidable pressure on communication and transportation (Mercury) and advanced technological systems (Makemake) that these quake events impact and Indonesian citizens rely on.

It’s not just transits that show us that big changes or a “wake-up call” is needed in Indonesia. Another predictive strategy astrologers use, called Secondary Progression, treats the daily “transiting” pattern of planets after a birth or event, in this case Indonesia’s “independence declaration” chart, as if the days represent years. This method shows that on August 15, the progressed Sun (13 Scorpio) is square (90 degrees; major crisis) p. Pluto (11 Leo) and p. Haumea (18 Leo), and progressed Mercury (2 Sagittarius) is sesquiquadrate p. Makemake (17 Cancer). This is a watershed moment, since the Sun is again aligned with Haumea in major aspect, as it was in the 1945 chart, and Mercury is repeating a minor square with Makemake as it did in 1945. These tensions of square and minor-square figures, reflecting the founding positions, means that some important emergence or transformation is imminent. Some positive developments could be if building codes were improved or more strictly enforced (especially when rebuilding), and an earthquake early-warning system were instituted, as is operative in Japan, Mexico, and California. Both transits and secondary progression appear to require action and change (Haumea) and cutting-edge inventiveness (Makemake) to help manage the unpredictable seismic foundations of their country.

Image caption: Yellow bar shows info on larger earthquake (yellow dot; date is for UTC, the equivalent of the time at Greenwich, UK, which is the day before); Aqua bar is for smaller earthquake (aqua dot).

Title Image credit: United States Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, “USGS Significant Earthquakes, Past Month,“ https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=-28.61346,60.9082&extent=34.16182,137.19727&range=month&magnitude=significant&sort=largest&settings=true

Notes and References

1. “M 7.7 – 68 km NNW of Ende, Indonesia,” 2026-08-14 21:58:21 (UTC), 8.310°S 121.352°E, U.S. Geological Survey, https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tkt2/executive
2. “M 6.9 – 15 km NNW of Pematangsiantar, Indonesia,” 2026-08-15 10:54:51 (UTC), 3.086°N 99.015°E, U.S. Geological Survey, https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tkyk/executive
3. CBS/AP, “Nearly 1,000 aftershocks followed Indonesia earthquake that killed at least 53, officials say,” 16 August 2026, CBS News, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/indonesia-earthquake-tsunami-warning/
4. Volack, J., et al, “2nd earthquake hits Indonesia following powerful magnitude 7.7 quake,” 15 August 2026, ABC News, https://abcnews.com/International/2-dead-after-powerful-77-earthquake-strikes-off/story?id=135664681 
5. Chavez, Nicole, “Why Indonesia has so many earthquakes,” 30 September 2018, CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/29/asia/earthquakes-indonesia-explainer
6. Indonesia mundane chart, 17 August 1945, 10 a.m., Jakarta, Indonesia, Astrodienst, https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Nation:_Indonesia_(Proclamation_of_Independence)
7. Haumea (mythology), Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haumea_(mythology)
8. Haumea Family, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haumea_family
9. See Haumea’s astrological keywords and examples of historical figures at “Dwarf Planet Basics,” Astrology News Service, 6 November 2024,  https://astrologynewsservice.com/articles/dwarf-planet-basics/
10. All planets move retrograde, or backwards in degrees as observed from Earth, at some point during their orbit of the Sun. This optical illusion is due to the position of Earth sometimes moving faster than other solar system bodies, so the retrograde object seems to drift backwards in the sky. With Mercury and Venus, their movements around the Sun require them to pass in front of the Sun from Earth’s perspective, which appears as backward motion. Eventually the body “stops” (in astrological terms, “stations”) and resumes forward motion. Sun and Moon never appear to move retrograde.
11. Kientz, S., “Watch out, it’s Makemake!,” the Makemake chapter from More Plutos, appeared in the Astrological Journal, Nov./Dec. 2014 issue

For more details about the angles or relationships between planets, see Lynne Hyde’s “Astrology Basics,” 12 November 2024, ANS, https://astrologynewsservice.com/articles/astrology-basics/