In the morning of Sunday March 30th, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit under land 12 kilometer from Banda Aceh in Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 12 kilometer (7 mi) south of Banda Aceh in Aceh. 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 30, 2025 09:58 (Jakarta Time) - Mar 30, 2025 02:58 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 12 km south of Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia. Coordinates 5°26'1"N 95°20'48"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 94 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 . |
| 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 (12 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 Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Banda Aceh in Aceh, Indonesia. Banda Aceh is located 12 kilometer (7 mi) south of the epicenter.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 12 km (7 mi) N from epicenter |
Banda Aceh Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 51 km (32 mi) N from epicenter |
Sabang Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 68 km (42 mi) E from epicenter |
Sigli Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 106 km (66 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Reuleuet Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 152 km (94 mi) E from epicenter |
Bireun Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 167 km (104 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Meulaboh Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 202 km (126 mi) E from epicenter |
Lhokseumawe Aceh, Indonesia. |
Shaking reported by 4 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 2 places in 2 countries (Thailand, Indonesia).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia: 3 people.
- Krabi, Krabi, Thailand: 1 person.
10 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 10 smaller aftershocks. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 23 km (14 mi) north-east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Mar 30, 2025 09:58 (Jakarta Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
5 hrs later Mar 30, 2025 14:54 (Jakarta Time) | 21 km (13 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
21 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 07:12 (Jakarta Time) | 20 km (12 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
22 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 07:51 (Jakarta Time) | 16 km (10 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
22 hrs later Mar 31, 2025 07:54 (Jakarta Time) | 19 km (12 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 day later Mar 31, 2025 18:10 (Jakarta Time) | 18 km (11 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
2 days later Mar 31, 2025 23:42 (Jakarta Time) | 23 km (14 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
2 days later Apr 1, 2025 05:56 (Jakarta Time) | 17 km (10 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
2 days later Apr 1, 2025 11:28 (Jakarta Time) | 17 km (11 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 days later Apr 1, 2025 12:33 (Jakarta Time) | 98 km (61 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
3 days later Apr 2, 2025 07:29 (Jakarta Time) | 19 km (12 mi) NE 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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 7th, 2025, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 78 km (48 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on November 8th, 2015.
In total, 40 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.
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 (12 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 03/04/25 02:08 (). 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 us7000pnri
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250330_0000034
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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