In the South Pacific Ocean 204 kilometer from Kokopo, Papua New Guinea, a significant M5.3 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Wednesday October 15th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 113 kilometers (70 mi) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 204 kilometer east-northeast of Kokopo in East New Britain. The center of this earthquake had a deep depth of 452 km.
| Date and Time: | Oct 15, 2025 05:32 (Port Moresby Time) - Oct 14, 2025 19:32 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 204 km ENE of Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 3°42'45"S 153°59'30"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 452 km (281 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 Kokopo in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Kokopo is located 204 kilometer (127 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 204 km (127 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 17 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.2
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
17 hrs earlier Oct 14, 2025 12:40 (Port Moresby Time) | 18 km (11 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Oct 15, 2025 05:32 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
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.
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 16th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 193 km (120 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2016.
In total, 99 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 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 452 km (281 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 08/11/25 22:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rh65
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251014_0000298
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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