In the morning of Monday December 22nd, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit in the Solomon Sea 158 kilometer from Kokopo, Papua New Guinea.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Solomon Sea, right off the coast of Papua New Guinea (7 mi offshore), 158 kilometer south-southwest of Kokopo in East New Britain. 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 22, 2025 09:07 (Port Moresby Time) - Dec 21, 2025 23:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 158 km SSW of Kokopo, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Coordinates 5°39'8"S 151°42'37"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 . |
| 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 Papua New Guinea . Kokopo in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 158 kilometer (98 mi) south-southwest of Kokopo.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 158 km (98 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Kokopo East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
| 174 km (108 mi) W from epicenter |
Kimbe West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. Just 15 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.9 was detected 65 km (40 mi) south of this earthquake.
This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 18 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-5.2 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.2 |
18 hrs earlier Dec 21, 2025 15:25 (Port Moresby Time) | 17 km (11 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.9 |
9 hrs earlier Dec 22, 2025 00:23 (Port Moresby Time) | 23 km (14 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Dec 22, 2025 09:07 (Port Moresby Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
15 hrs later Dec 23, 2025 00:00 (Port Moresby Time) | 65 km (40 mi) S 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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 27th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 64 km (39 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on December 17th, 2016.
In total, 174 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 21 days.
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 5.3. 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 23/12/25 01:28 (). 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 us6000rwea
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251221_0000340
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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