Magnitude 5.2 earthquake strikes near Aitape, West Sepik, Papua New Guinea

An intermediate magnitude 5.2 earthquake was reported early afternoon near Aitape, West Sepik, Papua New Guinea.
According to Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, the quake hit on Friday, March 21st, 2025, at 3:25 pm local time at an intermediate depth of 122. km. The strength of the earthquake may have been tempered by its relative great depth below the surface, which makes it feel weaker in absolute terms. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Ambunti (pop. 2,100) located 79 km from the epicenter, and Aitape (pop. 5,500) 100 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

Earthquake data:
Date & time: Mar 21, 2025 03:25 pm (GMT +10) local time (21 Mar 2025 05:25 GMT)
Magnitude: 5.2
Depth: 122.00 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 4.01°S / 142.14°E (West Sepik, Papua New Guinea)
Primary data source: BMKG
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