A significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck in the Solomon Sea 72 kilometer from Arawa, Papua New Guinea in the night of Wednesday April 16th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 24 kilometers (15 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 72 kilometer west-southwest of Arawa in Bougainville. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 82 km.
| Date and Time: | Apr 16, 2025 02:49 (Bougainville Time) - Apr 15, 2025 15:49 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 72 km WSW of Arawa, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 6°30'29"S 154°58'54"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.075 . |
| Depth: | 82 km (51 mi) An intermediate 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 Arawa in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Arawa is located 72 kilometer (45 mi) west-southwest of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 72 km (45 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Arawa Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
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.
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 April 12th, 2025, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 286 km (178 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on January 22nd, 2017.
In total, 108 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 month.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 82 km (51 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 28/04/25 17:18 (). 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 us6000q65u
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250415_0000166
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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