A shallow MAG-4.1 earthquake struck under land 16 kilometer from Townsville in Australia in the evening of Saturday March 1st, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Australia, 16 kilometer (10 mi) south-southwest of Townsville in Queensland. 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: | Mar 1, 2025 21:31 (Brisbane Time) - Mar 1, 2025 11:31 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 16 km SSW of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Coordinates 19°23'29"S 146°43'44"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.1 Detected by 7 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.197 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (15 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Australia . Kirwan in Queensland, Australia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 10 kilometer (6 mi) south of Kirwan.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 10 km (6 mi) N from epicenter |
Kirwan Queensland, Australia. |
| 16 km (10 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Townsville Queensland, Australia. |
| 293 km (182 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Cairns Queensland, Australia. |
Shaking reported by 437 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 437 people have reported shaking in 8 places, all within Australia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Townsville, Queensland, Australia: 413 people.
- Ayr, Queensland, Australia: 9 people.
- Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia: 4 people.
- Ingham, Queensland, Australia: 4 people.
- Cairns, Queensland, Australia: 3 people.
- Mackay, Queensland, Australia: 2 people.
- Bowen, Queensland, Australia: 1 person.
- Innisfail, Queensland, Australia: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
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 are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since June 7th, 2023, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 293 km (182 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck on August 18th, 2016.
In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.1 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 years.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. 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 on land near a coastal area (15 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.1. 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 02/03/25 22:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pw9t
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250301_0000106
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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