On Saturday Evening a Strong M6.0 Earthquake struck in the Gulf Of Tomini 165km from Gorontalo (Indonesia).

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

In the Gulf Of Tomini 165 kilometer from Gorontalo, Indonesia, a strong Magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in the evening of Saturday May 3rd, 2025. Around 3.4 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of Tomini, right off the coast of Indonesia (2 mi offshore), 165 kilometer west of Gorontalo. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 108 km.

Date and Time:	May 3, 2025 20:51 (Makassar Time) - May 3, 2025 12:51 Universal Time.
Location:	165 km west of Gorontalo, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°30'4"N 121°34'37"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 75 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.036 .
Depth:	108 km (67 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely 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 3.4 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 3.4 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.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 1,387,000 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 2 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
640	II	Very weak	None
1,975,000	III	Weak	Probably none
1,387,000	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Gorontalo in Gorontalo, Indonesia. Gorontalo is located 165 kilometer (103 mi) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Gorontalo is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Manado is located 380 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Palu is located 246 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Gorontalo is located 165 km to the east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
165 km (103 mi) E from epicenter	Gorontalo Gorontalo, Indonesia.	IV Light
210 km (130 mi) SE from epicenter	Luwuk Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak
230 km (143 mi) SSW from epicenter	Poso Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
246 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter	Palu Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak
370 km (230 mi) ENE from epicenter	Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
380 km (236 mi) ENE from epicenter	Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
381 km (237 mi) ENE from epicenter	Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 7 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 people have reported shaking in 6 places in 3 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Baolan, Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia: 2 people.
Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia: 1 person.
Palu, Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia: 1 person.
Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.
Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia: 1 person.
Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines: 1 person.

7 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 7 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 1 hr after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.9 was detected 6 km (4 mi) east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 3 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.6	3 days earlier May 1, 2025 01:40 (Makassar Time)	93 km (57 mi) E from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.0	2 days earlier May 1, 2025 12:57 (Makassar Time)	51 km (32 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.6	2 days earlier May 2, 2025 06:57 (Makassar Time)	58 km (36 mi) E from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.0	May 3, 2025 20:51 (Makassar Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.1	14 mins later May 3, 2025 21:05 (Makassar Time)	11 km (7 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	37 mins later May 3, 2025 21:28 (Makassar Time)	8 km (5 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.9	1 hr later May 3, 2025 22:15 (Makassar Time)	6 km (4 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	6 hrs later May 4, 2025 02:27 (Makassar Time)	5 km (3 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	7 hrs later May 4, 2025 04:15 (Makassar Time)	91 km (57 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	1 day later May 4, 2025 22:47 (Makassar Time)	31 km (19 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	1 day later May 4, 2025 23:54 (Makassar Time)	6 km (4 mi) ENE 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).

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 September 23rd, 2024, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 158 km (98 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on September 28th, 2018.

In total, 11 earthquakes with a magnitude of 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.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. 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	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 108 km (67 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 19/05/25 14:38 (). 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.