On Sunday Afternoon a Shallow M5.3 Earthquake struck 144km from Ternate in Indonesia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 23rd, 2025. Last updated December 14th, 2025.

Around noon of Sunday November 23rd, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit under land 144 kilometer from Ternate in Indonesia. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1 million people.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 144 kilometer (89 mi) east-northeast of Ternate in North Maluku. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 23, 2025 12:19 (Jayapura Time) - Nov 23, 2025 03:19 Universal Time.
Location:	144 km ENE of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°17'43"N 128°34'31"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.075 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong 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 (15 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

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (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 1 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 380 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 740 thousand). 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
45,830	II	Very weak	None
736,400	III	Weak	Probably none
223,000	IV	Light	Likely none
7,670	V	Moderate	Very light
380	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 . Located 129 kilometer (80 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Sofifi (North Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. Sofifi experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
129 km (80 mi) WSW from epicenter	Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia.	III Weak
144 km (89 mi) WSW from epicenter	Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia.	III Weak

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 VI.

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.

8 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 8 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 4 hrs later 2.3 km (1.4 mi) north of this earthquake.

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
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.3	Nov 23, 2025 12:19 (Jayapura Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.5	17 mins later Nov 23, 2025 12:36 (Jayapura Time)	16 km (10 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	34 mins later Nov 23, 2025 12:53 (Jayapura Time)	10 km (6 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	41 mins later Nov 23, 2025 13:00 (Jayapura Time)	17 km (10 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	1 hr later Nov 23, 2025 13:39 (Jayapura Time)	8 km (5 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	4 hrs later Nov 23, 2025 16:36 (Jayapura Time)	2.3 km (1.4 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	11 hrs later Nov 23, 2025 22:58 (Jayapura Time)	50 km (31 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	2 days later Nov 25, 2025 07:16 (Jayapura Time)	16 km (10 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	2 days later Nov 25, 2025 13:39 (Jayapura Time)	15 km (9 mi) SW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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 August 17th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 188 km (117 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on July 14th, 2019.

In total, 113 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

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.

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

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 on land near a coastal area (15 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 14/12/25 00:48 (). 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.