A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Bismarck Sea 170 kilometer from Kokopo, Papua New Guinea in the early afternoon of Tuesday February 11th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Bismarck Sea, 79 kilometers (49 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 170 kilometer west-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: | Feb 11, 2025 12:37 (Port Moresby Time) - Feb 11, 2025 02:37 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 170 km WNW of Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 3°41'15"S 150°52'45"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 28 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.107 . |
| 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 . Kokopo in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 170 kilometer (106 mi) west-northwest of Kokopo.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 170 km (106 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
| 223 km (139 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kimbe West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 3 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5 was detected 28 km (18 mi) south of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Feb 11, 2025 12:37 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
3 hrs later Feb 11, 2025 15:32 (Port Moresby Time) | 28 km (18 mi) S 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 February 4th, 2025, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 234 km (146 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on May 14th, 2019.
In total, 247 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 15 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 5.1. 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 11/02/25 08:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pct1
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250211_0000045
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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