Shallow M5.1 AFTERSHOCK struck on Saturday Morning in the Solomon Sea 193km from Kimbe (Papua New Guinea).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 5th, 2025. Last updated April 11th, 2025.

In the morning of Saturday April 5th, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 aftershock hit in the Solomon Sea 193 kilometer from Kimbe, Papua New Guinea.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 65 kilometers (41 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 193 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 10:55 (Port Moresby Time) 7 days ago - Apr 5, 2025 00:55 Universal Time.
Location:	193 km ESE of Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 6°17'32"S 151°42'53"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 75 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow 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 may have been felt in Papua New Guinea . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Kimbe in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Kimbe is located 193 kilometer (120 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 5 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck 14 km (9 mi) west-southwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.1 earthquake as an aftershock.

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.

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.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 260 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 14 days.

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

Sources

Last updated 11/04/25 00:58 (1 day ago). 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 us6000q45z
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250405_0000020
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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