A significant MAG-5.1 earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 121 kilometer from Bengkulu, Indonesia in the morning of Sunday December 14th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 29 kilometers (18 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 121 kilometer west-northwest of Bengkulu. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 55 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 14, 2025 07:58 (Jakarta Time) - Dec 14, 2025 00:58 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 121 km WNW of Bengkulu, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°15'49"S 101°18'49"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 35 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.096 . |
| Depth: | 55 km (34 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Bengkulu in Bengkulu, Indonesia. Bengkulu is located 121 kilometer (75 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Padang is located 279 km to the north-northwest. Bengkulu is located 121 km to the east-southeast. Lubuklinggau is located 172 km to the east.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 121 km (75 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Bengkulu Bengkulu, Indonesia. |
| 135 km (84 mi) N from epicenter |
Sungai Penuh Jambi, Indonesia. |
| 136 km (85 mi) E from epicenter |
Curup Bengkulu, Indonesia. |
| 172 km (107 mi) E from epicenter |
Lubuklinggau South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 231 km (144 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Pagar Alam South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 254 km (158 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Lahat South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 279 km (173 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Padang West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 283 km (176 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Solok West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 286 km (178 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Tanjungagung South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 287 km (178 mi) N from epicenter |
Sijunjung West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 7 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
2 days earlier Dec 12, 2025 14:57 (Jakarta Time) | 70 km (43 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
7 hrs earlier Dec 14, 2025 00:45 (Jakarta Time) | 29 km (18 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Dec 14, 2025 07:58 (Jakarta 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.
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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 14th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 56 km (35 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on November 18th, 2022.
In total, 81 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 55 km (34 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/12/25 00:18 (). 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 us6000rur4
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251214_0000018
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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