Significant M5.6 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Afternoon in the Indian Ocean 158km from Bandung (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 22nd, 2025. Last updated May 18th, 2025.

In the Indian Ocean 158 kilometer from Bandung, Indonesia, a significant MAG-5.6 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Tuesday April 22nd, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 43 million people. Another nearby country is Christmas Island.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 84 kilometers (52 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 158 kilometer south-southwest of Bandung in West Java. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 63 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 22, 2025 17:14 (Jakarta Time) - Apr 22, 2025 10:14 Universal Time.
Location:	158 km SSW of Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°11'53"S 106°58'35"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 184 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	63 km (39 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 43 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 43 million 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 496,100 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 42 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Indonesia , around 43 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Indonesia and Christmas Island are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Banjar in West Java, Indonesia. Banjar is located 122 kilometer (76 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter. Banjar experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Jakarta is located 221 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Bandung is located 158 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Bekasi is located 218 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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

Shaking reported by 7 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 people have reported shaking in 7 places, all within Indonesia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Serpong, Banten, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Cikeruh, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Depok, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Karawang, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Sukabumi, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 38 km (24 mi) east-northeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 2.8

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 27th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 40 km (25 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on August 2nd, 2019.

In total, 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 year.

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 18/05/25 00:48 (). 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 us7000pu5z
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250422_0000107
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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