In the night of Sunday March 16th, 2025, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit under land 94 kilometer from Lae in Papua New Guinea.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Papua New Guinea, 94 kilometer (58 mi) north-east of Lae in Morobe. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 59 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Mar 16, 2025 02:28 (Port Moresby Time) - Mar 15, 2025 16:28 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 94 km NE of Lae, Morobe, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 6°7'24"S 147°35'36"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 62 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.072 . |
| Depth: | 59 km (37 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (3 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 Papua New Guinea . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Lae in Morobe, Papua New Guinea. Lae is located 94 kilometer (58 mi) north-east of the epicenter.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 94 km (58 mi) SW from epicenter |
Lae Morobe, Papua New Guinea. |
| 160 km (99 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bulolo Morobe, Papua New Guinea. |
| 224 km (139 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Madang Madang, Papua New Guinea. |
| 244 km (152 mi) W from epicenter |
Goroka Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. |
| 289 km (180 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kimbe West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
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.
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 19th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 63 km (39 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on September 10th, 2022.
In total, 117 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 month.
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 (3 km from 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 59 km (37 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 26/03/25 17:28 (). 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 us6000pz1v
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250315_0000173
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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