A significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 178 kilometer from Arawa, Papua New Guinea in the evening of Tuesday June 3rd, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 76 kilometers (47 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 178 kilometer north-northwest of Arawa in Bougainville. The center of this earthquake had a deep depth of 496 km.
| Date and Time: | Jun 3, 2025 21:41 (Bougainville Time) - Jun 3, 2025 10:41 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 178 km NNW of Arawa, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 4°39'35"S 155°14'33"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 90 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 . |
| Depth: | 496 km (308 mi) A deep 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 Papua New Guinea . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Arawa in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Arawa is located 178 kilometer (111 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 178 km (111 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Arawa Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 2nd, 2025, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 296 km (184 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on January 22nd, 2017.
In total, 100 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 month.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 496 km (308 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 17/06/25 11:38 (). 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 us6000qhly
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250603_0000141
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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