In the evening of Wednesday April 23rd, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the Solomon Sea 200 kilometer from Kokopo, Papua New Guinea.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, 40 kilometers (25 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 200 kilometer south-southwest of Kokopo in East 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 23, 2025 20:11 (Port Moresby Time) - Apr 23, 2025 10:11 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 200 km SSW of Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 6°2'8"S 151°39'23"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 74 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 176 kilometer (109 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 176 km (109 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kimbe West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
| 200 km (124 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
4 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 4 smaller aftershocks. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.9 was detected 23 km (14 mi) south-southeast of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 4 smaller foreshocks. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 12 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
3 days earlier Apr 21, 2025 05:25 (Port Moresby Time) | 71 km (44 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
12 hrs earlier Apr 23, 2025 07:42 (Port Moresby Time) | 37 km (23 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
9 hrs earlier Apr 23, 2025 11:10 (Port Moresby Time) | 32 km (20 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
9 hrs earlier Apr 23, 2025 11:18 (Port Moresby Time) | 11 km (7 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Apr 23, 2025 20:11 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
6 hrs later Apr 24, 2025 02:19 (Port Moresby Time) | 31 km (19 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
1 day later Apr 25, 2025 07:30 (Port Moresby Time) | 23 km (14 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
2 days later Apr 26, 2025 06:26 (Port Moresby Time) | 16 km (10 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
3 days later Apr 26, 2025 14:52 (Port Moresby Time) | 60 km (37 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
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.
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 221 km (137 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2016.
In total, 269 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
| 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 5.1. 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 19/05/25 13:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pufz
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250423_0000114
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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