A significant M5.1 earthquake struck in the Sawu Sea 160 kilometer from Dili, Timor-Leste in the night of Tuesday March 18th, 2025. Indonesia is also near its epicenter.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Sawu Sea, 28 kilometers (17 mi) off the coast of Timor-Leste, 160 kilometer west-southwest of Dili in Díli. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 90 km.
| Date and Time: | Mar 18, 2025 01:42 (Makassar Time) - Mar 17, 2025 17:42 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 59 km NNW of Kefamenanu, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°59'51"S 124°11'3"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 77 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 . |
| Depth: | 90 km (56 mi) An intermediate 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 struck within proximity of multiple countries. Indonesia and Timor-Leste are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Located 59 kilometer (37 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Kefamenanu (East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 59 km (37 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Kefamenanu East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 79 km (49 mi) E from epicenter |
Atambua East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 97 km (60 mi) S from epicenter |
Soe East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 114 km (71 mi) E from epicenter |
Maliana Bobonaro, Timor-Leste. |
| 120 km (75 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Maubara Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
| 123 km (76 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Suai Cova Lima, Timor-Leste. |
| 135 km (84 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Likisá Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
| 145 km (90 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kupang East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 155 km (96 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Aileu Aileu, Timor-Leste. |
| 160 km (99 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Dili Díli, Timor-Leste. |
| 221 km (137 mi) W from epicenter |
Maumere East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 244 km (152 mi) E from epicenter |
Venilale Baucau, Timor-Leste. |
| 256 km (159 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Baukau Baucau, Timor-Leste. |
| 278 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Ende East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
4 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 4 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.4 was detected 5 km (3 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 4 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 3 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.2 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
3 days earlier Mar 15, 2025 03:56 (Makassar Time) | 36 km (22 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
2 days earlier Mar 15, 2025 15:17 (Makassar Time) | 34 km (21 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Mar 17, 2025 00:46 (Makassar Time) | 67 km (41 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
3 hrs earlier Mar 17, 2025 23:09 (Makassar Time) | 16 km (10 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Mar 18, 2025 01:42 (Makassar Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
5 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 06:56 (Makassar Time) | 42 km (26 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
8 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 09:30 (Makassar Time) | 9 km (5 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
1 day later Mar 19, 2025 04:06 (Makassar Time) | 36 km (22 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
1 day later Mar 19, 2025 05:39 (Makassar Time) | 5 km (3 mi) SSW 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.
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 July 24th, 2024, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 128 km (80 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on December 14th, 2021.
In total, 47 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 3 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 90 km (56 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/03/25 02:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pzdr
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250317_0000182
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
