Significant M5.4 Earthquake hit near Jayapura in Indonesia on Saturday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 3rd, 2025. Last updated May 19th, 2025.

Under land 77 kilometer from Jayapura in Indonesia, a significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Saturday May 3rd, 2025. Roughly 1.5 million people may have felt this earthquake. Another nearby country is Papua New Guinea.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 77 kilometer (48 mi) south-southeast of Jayapura in Papua. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 3, 2025 14:10 (Jayapura Time) - May 3, 2025 05:10 Universal Time.
Location:	77 km SSE of Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°10'4"S 140°59'18"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 58 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.077 .
Depth:	35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

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 1.5 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1.5 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 100 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 0.9 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 1.1 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). In Papua New Guinea , around 400 thousand people.

Nearby towns and cities

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Abepura in Papua, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 75 kilometer (47 mi) south-southeast of Abepura. Abepura experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

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 9 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 9 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Papua New Guinea.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Vanimo, Sandaun, Papua New Guinea: 8 people.
• Aitape, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.

15 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 15 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 12 hrs later 14 km (9 mi) south-southeast of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 3 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.7 was detected nearby this earthquake.

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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 March 23rd, 2024, when a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit 261 km (162 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2023.

In total, 38 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 3 months.

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

Sources

Last updated 19/05/25 06:38 (). 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 us7000pwu9
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250503_0000082
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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