In the evening of Sunday July 6th, 2025, a significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit under land 199 kilometer from Wewak in Papua New Guinea. Another nearby country is Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Papua New Guinea, 199 kilometer (124 mi) west-southwest of Wewak in East Sepik. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 114 km.
| Date and Time: | Jul 6, 2025 18:21 (Port Moresby Time) - Jul 6, 2025 08:21 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 217 km SE of Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 4°4'28"S 141°55'12"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 . |
| Depth: | 114 km (71 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Wewak in East Sepik, Papua New Guinea is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 199 kilometer (124 mi) west-southwest of Wewak.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 199 km (124 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Wewak East Sepik, Papua New Guinea. |
| 217 km (135 mi) NW from epicenter |
Jayapura Papua, Indonesia. |
| 218 km (135 mi) NW from epicenter |
Abepura Papua, Indonesia. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 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:
- Aitape, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.
- Tari, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 September 5th, 2024, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 259 km (161 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on February 25th, 2018.
In total, 59 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
It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. 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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
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 114 km (71 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 20/07/25 00:28 (). 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 us7000qaz4
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250706_0000094
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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