In the Indian Ocean 298 kilometer from Pagar Alam, Indonesia, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the morning of Sunday February 23rd, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 117 kilometers (73 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 298 kilometer south-southwest of Pagar Alam in South Sumatra. 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 23, 2025 11:27 (Jakarta Time) - Feb 23, 2025 04:27 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 298 km SSW of Pagar Alam, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 6°32'25"S 102°19'3"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 38 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.092 . |
| 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Pagar Alam in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Pagar Alam is located 298 kilometer (185 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 298 km (185 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Pagar Alam South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. A 5 magnitude earthquake hit 49 mins later 31 km (19 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Feb 23, 2025 11:27 (Jakarta Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
49 mins later Feb 23, 2025 12:16 (Jakarta Time) | 31 km (19 mi) WNW 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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 6th, 2024, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 131 km (81 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on November 18th, 2022.
In total, 68 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 23/02/25 13:58 (). 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 us7000pfjr
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250223_0000039
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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