A shallow and significant MAG-5.1 aftershock struck in the Seram Sea 277 kilometer from Sorong, Indonesia in the early afternoon of Wednesday February 19th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Seram Sea, 28 kilometers (18 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 277 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 13:38 (Jayapura Time) - Feb 19, 2025 04:38 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 277 km south of Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°21'54"S 131°3'51"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 . |
| 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 Indonesia . Located 238 kilometer (148 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Amahai (Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 238 km (148 mi) W from epicenter |
Amahai Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 277 km (172 mi) N from epicenter |
Sorong West Papua, Indonesia. |
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 5 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck 6 km (4 mi) west of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.1 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| 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 | 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 This Earthquake |
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?
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.
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. In total, 54 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 2 months.
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 21/02/25 10:28 (). 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 us7000penq
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250219_0000052
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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