A shallow and significant MAG-5.3 aftershock struck in the Bismarck Sea 92 kilometer from Kokopo, Papua New Guinea deep in the night of Monday January 6th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Bismarck Sea, 42 kilometers (26 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 92 kilometer northwest of Kokopo in East New Britain. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 6, 2025 03:24 (Port Moresby Time) - Jan 5, 2025 17:24 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 92 km NW of Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 3°44'25"S 151°41'54"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 65 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.072 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . Located 92 kilometer (57 mi) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Kokopo (East New Britain, Papua New Guinea) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 92 km (57 mi) SE from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
| 265 km (165 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kimbe West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 3 days before this earthquake hit, a larger 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck 10 km (6 mi) south-east of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.3 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.0 |
2 days earlier Jan 1, 2025 03:09 (Port Moresby Time) | 28 km (17 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
2 days earlier Jan 1, 2025 11:46 (Port Moresby Time) | 77 km (48 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
2 days earlier Jan 1, 2025 14:28 (Port Moresby Time) | 56 km (35 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
2 days earlier Jan 1, 2025 15:27 (Port Moresby Time) | 43 km (26 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
2 days earlier Jan 1, 2025 17:05 (Port Moresby Time) | 4 km (2.2 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.0 |
2 days earlier Jan 1, 2025 19:39 (Port Moresby Time) | 17 km (10 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.1 |
2 days earlier Jan 1, 2025 22:26 (Port Moresby Time) | 10 km (6 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
2 days earlier Jan 1, 2025 22:37 (Port Moresby Time) | 23 km (14 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
20 hrs earlier Jan 2, 2025 15:48 (Port Moresby Time) | 29 km (18 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.4 |
19 hrs earlier Jan 2, 2025 17:06 (Port Moresby Time) | 10 km (6 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 5.0 |
10 hrs earlier Jan 3, 2025 01:57 (Port Moresby Time) | 22 km (13 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.4 |
Jan 3, 2025 11:47 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
2 days later Jan 5, 2025 11:21 (Port Moresby Time) | 40 km (25 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
3 days later Jan 6, 2025 03:24 (Port Moresby Time) | 10 km (6 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 187 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 20 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 07/01/25 09:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pi0k
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250105_0000179
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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