Strong and shallow M6.5 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit Papua, Indonesia at 05:48 UTC on October 16, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.5 at a depth of 11 km (6.8 miles). According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), there is no tsunami threat from this event.
Epicenter of M6.5 earthquake in Papua, Indonesia on October 16, 2025. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 194 km (120.8 miles) WNW of Abepura (population 62 248), 202 km (125.6 miles) WNW of Jayapura (population 404 004), and 269 km (167.2 miles) WNW of Vanimo, Papua New Guinea (population 11 204).
23 000 people are estimated to have felt strong shaking, 22 000 moderate, 336 000 light, and 1 104 000 weak.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake, PTWC said in its information statement issued at 05:55 UTC.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick with concrete floor and precast concrete frame with wall construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Little or no landsliding is expected, but some landslides could have occurred in highly susceptible areas. The number of people living near areas that could have produced landslides in this earthquake is low.
Liquefaction triggered by this earthquake is estimated to be significant in severity and/or spatial extent, though population exposure to such effects is limited.
This is the second M6+ earthquake of the day, following M6.3 in Drake Passage at 01:42 UTC.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.5 earthquake Papua, Indonesia — USGS — October 16, 2025
2 M6.5 earthquake Papua, Indonesia — EMSC — October 16, 2025
3 M6.5 earthquake Papua, Indonesia — PTWC — October 16, 2025
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.