On Wednesday Morning a Significant M5.9 Earthquake struck in the Gulf Of Tomini near Gorontalo (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 4th, 2025. Last updated December 5th, 2025.

In the morning of Wednesday November 5th, 2025, a significant MAG-5.9 earthquake hit in the Gulf Of Tomini 71 kilometer from Gorontalo, Indonesia. Around 3.8 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of Tomini, 51 kilometers (32 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 71 kilometer south of Gorontalo. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 120 km.

Date and Time:	Nov 5, 2025 07:32 (Makassar Time) - Nov 4, 2025 23:32 Universal Time.
Location:	71 km south of Gorontalo, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°6'4"N 123°3'46"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 41 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 .
Depth:	120 km (75 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

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

At least 1 building damaged in Banggai; some homes and buildings damaged in Bone Bolango.

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 3.8 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 3.8 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 1,170,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.6 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
18,480	II	Very weak	None
2,648,000	III	Weak	Probably none
1,170,000	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Gorontalo in Gorontalo, Indonesia. Gorontalo is located 71 kilometer (44 mi) south of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Gorontalo is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Gorontalo is located 71 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Manado is located 265 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Palu is located 366 km to the west-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
71 km (44 mi) N from epicenter	Gorontalo Gorontalo, Indonesia.	IV Light
99 km (62 mi) SSW from epicenter	Luwuk Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak
250 km (155 mi) NE from epicenter	Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak
258 km (160 mi) NE from epicenter	Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
265 km (165 mi) NE from epicenter	Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia.	III Weak
294 km (183 mi) WSW from epicenter	Poso Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
366 km (227 mi) WSW from epicenter	Palu Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

9 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 9 smaller aftershocks. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.3 was detected 7 km (4 mi) east-northeast of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 4 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 2.9 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.9	2 days earlier Nov 2, 2025 20:38 (Makassar Time)	35 km (21 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.9	2 days earlier Nov 3, 2025 01:10 (Makassar Time)	20 km (12 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.9	1 day earlier Nov 4, 2025 01:56 (Makassar Time)	15 km (9 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.6	16 hrs earlier Nov 4, 2025 15:31 (Makassar Time)	92 km (57 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Nov 5, 2025 07:32 (Makassar Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.6	45 mins later Nov 5, 2025 08:17 (Makassar Time)	11 km (7 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	2 hrs later Nov 5, 2025 09:52 (Makassar Time)	2.5 km (1.6 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	2 hrs later Nov 5, 2025 09:58 (Makassar Time)	7 km (4 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.7	4 hrs later Nov 5, 2025 11:24 (Makassar Time)	7 km (4 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	13 hrs later Nov 5, 2025 20:26 (Makassar Time)	13 km (8 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.7	1 day later Nov 6, 2025 13:47 (Makassar Time)	8 km (5 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	2 days later Nov 6, 2025 20:57 (Makassar Time)	39 km (24 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	2 days later Nov 6, 2025 22:33 (Makassar Time)	7 km (4 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.7	3 days later Nov 7, 2025 22:30 (Makassar Time)	27 km (17 mi) SSE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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.

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

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

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 July 23rd, 2025, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 124 km (77 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on April 12th, 2019.

In total, 12 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 10 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 120 km (75 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 05/12/25 01:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.