A significant MAG-5.3 earthquake struck in the Banda Sea 282 kilometer from Lospalos, Timor-Leste in the morning of Saturday May 10th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Banda Sea, 248 kilometers (154 mi) off the coast of Timor-Leste, 282 kilometer north-east of Lospalos in Lautém. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 165 km.
| Date and Time: | May 10, 2025 07:45 (Dili Time) - May 9, 2025 22:45 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 282 km NE of Lospalos, Lautém, Timor-Leste. Coordinates 7°7'24"S 129°8'17"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 . |
| Depth: | 165 km (102 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Timor-Leste . Located 282 kilometer (175 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Lospalos (Lautém, Timor-Leste) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 282 km (175 mi) SW from epicenter |
Lospalos Lautém, Timor-Leste. |
Shaking reported by 5 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in one place in 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:
- Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia: 5 people.
2 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 70 km (44 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 22 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.3
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
May 10, 2025 07:45 (Dili Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
22 hrs later May 11, 2025 05:20 (Dili Time) | 70 km (44 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
3 days later May 13, 2025 01:23 (Dili Time) | 38 km (24 mi) SSW 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 1st, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 78 km (48 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on January 9th, 2023.
In total, 76 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 2 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 165 km (102 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 17/05/25 22:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pyc9
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250509_0000246
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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