On Tuesday Evening a Significant M5.5 Earthquake struck 0mi from Indonesia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 28th, 2025. Last updated January 30th, 2025.

0 miles from Indonesia, a significant MAG-5.5 earthquake occurred in the evening of Tuesday January 28th, 2025. Around 2.9 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake struck 0 miles (1 km) from Indonesia The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 99 km.

Date and Time:	Jan 28, 2025 22:53 (Makassar Time) - Jan 28, 2025 14:53 Universal Time.
Location:	211 km NE of Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°27'39"N 121°11'18"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 .
Depth:	99 km (62 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 2.9 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.9 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 552,200 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.3 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
133,600	II	Very weak	None
2,259,000	III	Weak	Probably none
552,200	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Gorontalo in Gorontalo, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 209 kilometer (130 mi) west of Gorontalo.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
209 km (130 mi) E from epicenter	Gorontalo Gorontalo, Indonesia.
211 km (131 mi) SW from epicenter	Palu Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak
212 km (132 mi) SSW from epicenter	Poso Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
237 km (147 mi) SE from epicenter	Luwuk Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.	II Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

5 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 5 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 23 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.4 was detected 11 km (7 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-2.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.9	1 day earlier Jan 27, 2025 15:55 (Makassar Time)	83 km (51 mi) W from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.5	Jan 28, 2025 22:53 (Makassar Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.4	23 mins later Jan 28, 2025 23:16 (Makassar Time)	11 km (7 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	2 hrs later Jan 29, 2025 01:09 (Makassar Time)	6 km (4 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.9	9 hrs later Jan 29, 2025 07:30 (Makassar Time)	76 km (47 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.9	10 hrs later Jan 29, 2025 08:42 (Makassar Time)	48 km (30 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	18 hrs later Jan 29, 2025 16:39 (Makassar Time)	9 km (5 mi) NE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 6th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 116 km (72 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on September 28th, 2018.

In total, 31 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 4 months.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 99 km (62 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 30/01/25 20:18 (). 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.