On Sunday Afternoon a Significant M5.8 Earthquake struck 182km from Medan in Indonesia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 11th, 2025. Last updated June 17th, 2025.

In the afternoon of Sunday May 11th, 2025, a significant MAG-5.8 earthquake hit under land 182 kilometer from Medan in Indonesia. Around 13 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 182 kilometer (113 mi) west of Medan in North Sumatra. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 73 km.

Date and Time:	May 11, 2025 15:57 (Jakarta Time) - May 11, 2025 08:57 Universal Time.
Location:	182 km west of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°48'6"N 97°2'32"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 28 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.059 .
Depth:	73 km (45 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (23 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Several homes and a road destroyed; 6 buildings damaged in the South Aceh-Southwest Aceh area.

Based on scientific estimates by the 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 13 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 13 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 6,650 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 8 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Meulaboh in Aceh, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 108 kilometer (67 mi) east-southeast of Meulaboh. The intensity of shaking and damage in Meulaboh is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Medan is located 182 km to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Percut is located 203 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Binjai is located 162 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

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 V.

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 46 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 46 people have reported shaking in 17 places in 3 countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Meulaboh, Aceh, Indonesia: 16 people.
• Tanjong Tokong, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia: 6 people.
• Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia: 5 people.
• Medan, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia: 3 people.
• Sungai Ara, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia: 3 people.
• Butterworth, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia: 2 people.
• Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand: 1 person.
• Serendah, Selangor, Malaysia: 1 person.
• Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: 1 person.
• Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. Just 17 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.2 was detected 2.5 km (1.6 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 8 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 11 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.5

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 7th, 2025, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 198 km (123 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on December 6th, 2016.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 years.

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 17/06/25 03:18 (). 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 us7000pyjn
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250511_0000102
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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