Shallow M5.4 AFTERSHOCK hit in the Solomon Sea 167km from Kimbe (Papua New Guinea) on Saturday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 5th, 2025. Last updated April 12th, 2025.

In the Solomon Sea 167 kilometer from Kimbe, Papua New Guinea, a shallow and significant MAG-5.4 aftershock occurred in the evening of Saturday April 5th, 2025. Roughly 380 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 44 kilometers (27 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 167 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 19:04 (Port Moresby Time) 7 days ago - Apr 5, 2025 09:04 Universal Time.
Location:	167 km ESE of Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 6°12'24"S 151°29'44"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 380 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 380 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 16,900 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 340 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably 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 . Kimbe in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 167 kilometer (104 mi) east-southeast of Kimbe. The intensity of shaking and damage in Kimbe is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

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 IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 6.9 earthquake struck 16 km (10 mi) south-east in advance of this 5.4 earthquake around 13 hrs earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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. In total, 149 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 24 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 12/04/25 08:58 (16 hours ago). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000q47u
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250405_0000093
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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