On Wednesday Morning a Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck in the Seram Sea 278km from Sorong (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 18th, 2025. Last updated February 21st, 2025.

In the Seram Sea 278 kilometer from Sorong, Indonesia, a shallow and significant MAG-5.7 earthquake occurred in the morning of Wednesday February 19th, 2025. Around 410 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Seram Sea, 23 kilometers (14 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 278 kilometer south of Sorong in West Papua. 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 19, 2025 08:39 (Jayapura Time) - Feb 18, 2025 23:39 Universal Time.
Location:	278 km south of Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°22'8"S 131°0'43"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 15 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow 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 410 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 410 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 1,970 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 300 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
760	II	Very weak	None
298,800	III	Weak	Probably none
111,700	IV	Light	Likely none
1,970	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 232 kilometer (144 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Amahai (Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
232 km (144 mi) W from epicenter	Amahai Maluku, Indonesia.
278 km (173 mi) N from epicenter	Sorong West Papua, 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 V.

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.

24 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 24 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 5 hrs later 6 km (4 mi) east of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit 3 hrs earlier nearby.

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 3.8	3 hrs earlier Feb 19, 2025 05:11 (Jayapura Time)	7 km (4 mi) E from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Feb 19, 2025 08:39 (Jayapura Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	22 mins later Feb 19, 2025 09:01 (Jayapura Time)	16 km (10 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	4 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 12:42 (Jayapura Time)	20 km (12 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.1	5 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 13:38 (Jayapura Time)	6 km (4 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	6 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 14:13 (Jayapura Time)	17 km (11 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	6 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 14:35 (Jayapura Time)	8 km (5 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	6 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 14:37 (Jayapura Time)	17 km (11 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	6 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 14:40 (Jayapura Time)	13 km (8 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	10 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 18:31 (Jayapura Time)	19 km (12 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	11 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 19:50 (Jayapura Time)	10 km (6 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	13 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 21:45 (Jayapura Time)	16 km (10 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	16 hrs later Feb 20, 2025 00:53 (Jayapura Time)	12 km (8 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	17 hrs later Feb 20, 2025 01:37 (Jayapura Time)	12 km (8 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.0	22 hrs later Feb 20, 2025 06:32 (Jayapura Time)	12 km (7 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.0	24 hrs later Feb 20, 2025 08:25 (Jayapura Time)	18 km (11 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	1 day later Feb 20, 2025 13:27 (Jayapura Time)	13 km (8 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	1 day later Feb 20, 2025 16:48 (Jayapura Time)	21 km (13 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.1	1 day later Feb 20, 2025 16:48 (Jayapura Time)	9 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	1 day later Feb 20, 2025 18:04 (Jayapura Time)	13 km (8 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	2 days later Feb 20, 2025 20:51 (Jayapura Time)	23 km (14 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	2 days later Feb 21, 2025 01:02 (Jayapura Time)	8 km (5 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	2 days later Feb 21, 2025 06:35 (Jayapura Time)	15 km (9 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	2 days later Feb 21, 2025 06:52 (Jayapura Time)	15 km (9 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	2 days later Feb 21, 2025 11:18 (Jayapura Time)	21 km (13 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	2 days later Feb 21, 2025 18:48 (Jayapura Time)	12 km (8 mi) NE 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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 5th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 8 km (5 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on December 9th, 2015.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 2 years.

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 5.7. 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 21/02/25 10:18 (). 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.