On Tuesday Night a Significant M5.4 Earthquake struck near Sibolga in Indonesia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 17th, 2025. Last updated March 18th, 2025.

A significant M5.4 earthquake struck under land 43 kilometer from Sibolga in Indonesia in the early morning of Tuesday March 18th, 2025. Roughly 17 million people may have felt this earthquake. Malaysia is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 43 kilometer (27 mi) east-northeast of Sibolga in North Sumatra. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 51 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 18, 2025 05:23 (Jakarta Time) - Mar 17, 2025 22:23 Universal Time.
Location:	43 km ENE of Sibolga, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°53'51"N 99°8'7"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.075 .
Depth:	51 km (31 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 17 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 17 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 102,600 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 11 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Indonesia , around 17 million people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). In Malaysia, shaking was experienced too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Indonesia and Malaysia are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Located 43 kilometer (27 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Sibolga (North Sumatra, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. Sibolga experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Medan is located 195 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Klang is located 286 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Pekanbaru is located 299 km to the east-southeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is 0. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 24 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 24 people have reported shaking in 10 places in 2 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 7 people.
• Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: 3 people.
• Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: 3 people.
• Balakong, Selangor, Malaysia: 2 people.
• Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi, Selangor, Malaysia: 2 people.
• Kajang-Sungai Chua, Selangor, Malaysia: 2 people.
• Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia: 2 people.
• Pematang Siantar, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Sibolga, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia: 1 person.

3 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit 4 hrs later 23 km (14 mi) northwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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.

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 January 31st, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 270 km (168 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on March 13th, 2022.

In total, 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 7 months.

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

Sources

Last updated 18/03/25 06:48 (). 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.

1. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250317_0000229
2. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
3. Google Maps: Static API
4. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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