In the Indian Ocean 179 kilometer from Meulaboh, Indonesia, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Tuesday December 9th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, right off the coast of Indonesia (4 mi offshore), 179 kilometer south of Meulaboh in Aceh. 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: | Dec 9, 2025 14:02 (Jakarta Time) - Dec 9, 2025 07:02 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 179 km south of Meulaboh, Aceh, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°32'29"N 95°59'32"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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 . Meulaboh in Aceh, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 179 kilometer (111 mi) south of Meulaboh.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 179 km (111 mi) N from epicenter |
Meulaboh Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 202 km (126 mi) E from epicenter |
Singkil Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 284 km (176 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kabanjahe North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 284 km (176 mi) E from epicenter |
Tongging North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 289 km (180 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Berastagi North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 299 km (186 mi) N from epicenter |
Reuleuet Aceh, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. A 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 12 km (8 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Dec 9, 2025 14:02 (Jakarta Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
1 day later Dec 10, 2025 21:00 (Jakarta Time) | 12 km (8 mi) WNW 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 November 27th, 2025, when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit 17 km (11 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on May 14th, 2021.
In total, 22 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 6 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 5.2. 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 13/12/25 06:18 (). 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 us6000rtkx
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251209_0000103
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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