In the Seram Sea 238 kilometer from Ambon, Indonesia, a shallow and significant MAG-5.8 earthquake occurred in the night of Tuesday March 18th, 2025. Around 680 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Seram Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (8 mi offshore), 238 kilometer east-northeast of Ambon in Maluku. 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 18, 2025 02:32 (Jayapura Time) - Mar 17, 2025 17:32 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 238 km ENE of Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°52'18"S 130°9'41"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.8 Detected by 28 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.059 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | VI
Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 680 thousand people exposed to shaking
This earthquake may have been felt by around 680 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.
The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 7,680 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 470 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 4,040 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 472,800 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 143,900 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 54,480 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 7,680 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Amahai in Maluku, Indonesia. Amahai is located 147 kilometer (91 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter. Amahai experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 147 km (91 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Amahai Maluku, Indonesia. |
III
Weak |
| 238 km (148 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ambon Maluku, Indonesia. |
|
| 253 km (157 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Sorong West Papua, Indonesia. |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VI.
15 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 15 smaller aftershocks. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 18 hrs later 17 km (11 mi) southwest of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
2 days earlier Mar 15, 2025 19:17 (Jayapura Time) | 75 km (46 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
22 hrs earlier Mar 17, 2025 05:00 (Jayapura Time) | 94 km (59 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.8 |
Mar 18, 2025 02:32 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
1 hr later Mar 18, 2025 03:44 (Jayapura Time) | 10 km (6 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
1 hr later Mar 18, 2025 03:48 (Jayapura Time) | 16 km (10 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
2 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 04:24 (Jayapura Time) | 14 km (8 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
2 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 04:43 (Jayapura Time) | 10 km (6 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
2 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 04:51 (Jayapura Time) | 8 km (5 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
4 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 06:25 (Jayapura Time) | 12 km (7 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
4 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 06:49 (Jayapura Time) | 7 km (4 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
10 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 12:33 (Jayapura Time) | 34 km (21 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
11 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 13:12 (Jayapura Time) | 7 km (4 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
18 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 20:33 (Jayapura Time) | 50 km (31 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
18 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 20:57 (Jayapura Time) | 17 km (11 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
19 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 21:05 (Jayapura Time) | 14 km (8 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
19 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 21:51 (Jayapura Time) | 17 km (11 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
1 day later Mar 19, 2025 05:41 (Jayapura Time) | 10 km (6 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
1 day later Mar 19, 2025 10:07 (Jayapura Time) | 7 km (4 mi) SSE 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 are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 5th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 102 km (63 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on December 9th, 2015.
In total, 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 year.
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 5.8. 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 19/03/25 03:28 (). 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 us6000pzdn
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250317_0000178
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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