Strong M6.4 earthquake hits Banda Sea, Indonesia
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 struck the Banda Sea, Indonesia, at 14:40 UTC on October 28, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 144 km (89 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Epicenter of M6.4 earthquake in Banda Sea, Indonesia on October 28, 2025. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 326 km (202 miles) WSW of Tual (population 88 999), 388 km (241 miles) SSE of Ambon (population 347 288), amd 390 km (243 miles) SSE of Amahai (population 47 653).
51 000 people are estimated to have felt weak shaking, and 93 000 light shaking.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
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.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.4 earthquake Banda Sea, Indonesia — USGS — October 28, 2025
2 M6.4 earthquake Banda Sea, Indonesia — EMSC — October 28, 2025
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- In September 1859, a solar storm lit up the night sky so brightly that gold miners in the Rocky Mountains woke up after midnight and started cooking breakfast, convinced the aurora glowing over their camp was the sunrise Epicenter
- A patch of warm Pacific water that could become the strongest El Niño in more than 70 years sits thousands of miles from any American town, yet it is already the main reason NOAA expects a wetter winter across the South and a milder one across the North
- A 19-year-old Nebraska teacher reportedly tied her pupils together with twine and led them to safety through a blizzard in January 1888 Epicenter
