Shallow M6.9 Earthquake struck on Saturday Morning in the Solomon Sea 182km from Kimbe (Papua New Guinea).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 4th, 2025. Last updated April 27th, 2025.

In the early morning of Saturday April 5th, 2025, a shallow and strong M6.9 earthquake hit in the Solomon Sea 182 kilometer from Kimbe, Papua New Guinea. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 60 kilometers (37 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 182 kilometer east-southeast of Kimbe in West New Britain. 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:	Apr 5, 2025 06:04 (Port Moresby Time) - Apr 4, 2025 20:04 Universal Time.
Location:	182 km ESE of Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 6°19'2"S 151°35'32"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.9 Detected by 6 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.028 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

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 740 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 740 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 1,020 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 660 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Papua New Guinea .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . Located 182 kilometer (113 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Kimbe (West New Britain, Papua New Guinea) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Kimbe is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

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.

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 13 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 13 people have reported shaking in 4 places, all within Papua New Guinea.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Port Moresby, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea: 6 people.
• Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea: 5 people.
• Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.
• Panguna, North Solomons, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.

118 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 118 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 13 hrs later 13 km (8 mi) west-southwest 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.

This is the strongest earthquake in 6 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 14th, 2019, when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit 275 km (171 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2016.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.9 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 2 years.

Sources

Last updated 27/04/25 22:28 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000q41n
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250404_0000251
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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