A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 237 kilometer from Padang, Indonesia in the evening of Tuesday December 2nd, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, right off the coast of Indonesia (12 mi offshore), 237 kilometer northwest of Padang in West Sumatra. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 48 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 2, 2025 20:16 (Jakarta Time) - Dec 2, 2025 13:16 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 237 km NW of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°20'41"N 98°39'49"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 131 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.05 . |
| Depth: | 48 km (30 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 133 kilometer (83 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Padangsidempuan (North Sumatra, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Padang is located 237 km to the south-east. Padangsidempuan is located 133 km to the north-northeast. Pematangsiantar is located 294 km to the north.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 133 km (83 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Padangsidempuan North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 156 km (97 mi) N from epicenter |
Sibolga North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 194 km (121 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Pariaman West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 203 km (126 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Bukittinggi West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 225 km (140 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Bandar North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 228 km (142 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Payakumbuh West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 235 km (146 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Rantauprapat North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 237 km (147 mi) SE from epicenter |
Padang West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 237 km (147 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Singkil Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 256 km (159 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Solok West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 282 km (175 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Sijunjung West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 284 km (176 mi) N from epicenter |
Tongging North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 294 km (183 mi) N from epicenter |
Pematangsiantar North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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 23rd, 2025, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 295 km (183 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on April 24th, 2023.
In total, 67 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 48 km (30 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 05/12/25 02:28 (). 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 us7000rf1l
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251202_0000221
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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