Under land 72 kilometer from Newcastle in Australia, an unusually powerful Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the night of Wednesday April 23rd, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Australia, 72 kilometer (45 mi) west-northwest of Newcastle in New South Wales. 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 23, 2025 02:55 (Sydney Time) - Apr 22, 2025 16:55 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 72 km WNW of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Coordinates 32°42'0"S 151°3'15"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 88 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Australia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Cessnock in New South Wales, Australia. Cessnock is located 32 kilometer (20 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Sydney is located 131 km to the south. Newcastle is located 72 km to the east-southeast. Wollongong is located 192 km to the south.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 32 km (20 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Cessnock New South Wales, Australia. |
| 47 km (29 mi) E from epicenter |
Maitland New South Wales, Australia. |
| 72 km (45 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Newcastle New South Wales, Australia. |
| 95 km (59 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Umina Beach New South Wales, Australia. |
| 112 km (70 mi) S from epicenter |
Hornsby New South Wales, Australia. |
| 113 km (70 mi) S from epicenter |
Kellyville New South Wales, Australia. |
| 113 km (70 mi) S from epicenter |
Wahroonga New South Wales, Australia. |
| 114 km (71 mi) S from epicenter |
Cherrybrook New South Wales, Australia. |
| 115 km (71 mi) S from epicenter |
Saint Ives New South Wales, Australia. |
| 115 km (71 mi) S from epicenter |
Glenwood New South Wales, Australia. |
| 115 km (71 mi) S from epicenter |
Castle Hill New South Wales, Australia. |
| 116 km (72 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Cranebrook New South Wales, Australia. |
| 116 km (72 mi) S from epicenter |
West Pennant Hills New South Wales, Australia. |
| 116 km (72 mi) S from epicenter |
Quakers Hill New South Wales, Australia. |
| 118 km (73 mi) S from epicenter |
Baulkham Hills New South Wales, Australia. |
| 119 km (74 mi) S from epicenter |
Dee Why New South Wales, Australia. |
| 119 km (74 mi) S from epicenter |
Epping New South Wales, Australia. |
| 119 km (74 mi) S from epicenter |
Blacktown New South Wales, Australia. |
| 120 km (75 mi) S from epicenter |
Carlingford New South Wales, Australia. |
| 121 km (75 mi) S from epicenter |
Seven Hills New South Wales, Australia. |
| 121 km (75 mi) S from epicenter |
Eastwood New South Wales, Australia. |
| 121 km (75 mi) S from epicenter |
Mount Druitt New South Wales, Australia. |
| 123 km (76 mi) S from epicenter |
Chatswood New South Wales, Australia. |
| 123 km (76 mi) S from epicenter |
Westmead New South Wales, Australia. |
| 124 km (77 mi) S from epicenter |
Ryde New South Wales, Australia. |
| 124 km (77 mi) S from epicenter |
Parramatta New South Wales, Australia. |
| 125 km (78 mi) S from epicenter |
Greystanes New South Wales, Australia. |
| 125 km (78 mi) S from epicenter |
St Clair New South Wales, Australia. |
| 126 km (78 mi) S from epicenter |
Merrylands New South Wales, Australia. |
| 126 km (78 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Glenmore Park New South Wales, Australia. |
| 127 km (79 mi) S from epicenter |
Granville New South Wales, Australia. |
| 128 km (80 mi) S from epicenter |
Auburn New South Wales, Australia. |
| 128 km (80 mi) S from epicenter |
Mosman New South Wales, Australia. |
| 129 km (80 mi) S from epicenter |
Lidcombe New South Wales, Australia. |
| 130 km (81 mi) S from epicenter |
Sydney Central Business District New South Wales, Australia. |
| 131 km (81 mi) S from epicenter |
Strathfield New South Wales, Australia. |
| 131 km (81 mi) S from epicenter |
Sydney New South Wales, Australia. |
| 132 km (82 mi) S from epicenter |
Ashfield New South Wales, Australia. |
| 133 km (83 mi) S from epicenter |
Greenacre New South Wales, Australia. |
| 134 km (83 mi) S from epicenter |
Cabramatta New South Wales, Australia. |
| 135 km (84 mi) S from epicenter |
Marrickville New South Wales, Australia. |
| 135 km (84 mi) S from epicenter |
Campsie New South Wales, Australia. |
| 135 km (84 mi) S from epicenter |
Bankstown New South Wales, Australia. |
| 136 km (85 mi) S from epicenter |
Randwick New South Wales, Australia. |
| 136 km (85 mi) S from epicenter |
Liverpool New South Wales, Australia. |
| 137 km (85 mi) S from epicenter |
Punchbowl New South Wales, Australia. |
| 140 km (87 mi) S from epicenter |
Maroubra New South Wales, Australia. |
| 141 km (88 mi) S from epicenter |
Hurstville New South Wales, Australia. |
| 159 km (99 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Bathurst New South Wales, Australia. |
| 179 km (111 mi) N from epicenter |
Tamworth New South Wales, Australia. |
| 192 km (119 mi) S from epicenter |
Wollongong New South Wales, Australia. |
Shaking reported by 423 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 423 people have reported shaking in 22 places, all within Australia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia: 80 people.
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia: 67 people.
- Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia: 50 people.
- Wangi-Rathmines, New South Wales, Australia: 48 people.
- Singleton, New South Wales, Australia: 44 people.
- Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia: 41 people.
- Nelson Bay, New South Wales, Australia: 32 people.
- Raymond Terrace, New South Wales, Australia: 14 people.
- Richmond-Windsor, New South Wales, Australia: 12 people.
- Lemon Tree Passage, New South Wales, Australia: 9 people.
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 2.8 magnitude earthquake hit 12 hrs later 19 km (12 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Apr 23, 2025 02:55 (Sydney Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
12 hrs later Apr 23, 2025 14:57 (Sydney Time) | 19 km (12 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
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).This is an unusually powerful earthquake
No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.
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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
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 20/05/25 01:08 (). 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 us7000pua2
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250422_0000199
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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