Significant M5.9 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Morning in the Maluku Sea 260km from Ternate (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 3rd, 2025. Last updated February 4th, 2025.

In the early morning of Tuesday February 4th, 2025, a significant Magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 260 kilometer from Ternate, Indonesia. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 440 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 54 kilometers (33 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 260 kilometer north-northeast of Ternate in North Maluku. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 101 km.

Date and Time:	Feb 4, 2025 06:35 (Jayapura Time) - Feb 3, 2025 21:35 Universal Time.
Location:	260 km NNE of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°59'15"N 128°11'14"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 54 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.042 .
Depth:	101 km (63 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to 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 440 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 440 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 90,510 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 350 thousand). 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
0	II	Very weak	None
352,200	III	Weak	Probably none
90,510	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 . Located 260 kilometer (162 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Sofifi (North Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
260 km (162 mi) SSW from epicenter	Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia.
260 km (162 mi) SSW from epicenter	Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia.

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.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. Just 45 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.4 was detected 4 km (2.6 mi) west of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.2 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 3.2	2 days earlier Feb 1, 2025 22:45 (Jayapura Time)	16 km (10 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Feb 4, 2025 06:35 (Jayapura Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.4	45 mins later Feb 4, 2025 07:21 (Jayapura Time)	4 km (2.6 mi) W 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.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

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 April 9th, 2024, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit 129 km (80 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on November 14th, 2019.

In total, 29 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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.

Tsunami very unlikely

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.

For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always 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 5.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 101 km (63 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 04/02/25 12:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.