M4.2 Earthquake near Labuan Bajo, Indonesia — 12 October 2025
A light earthquake of magnitude 4.2 was recorded near Labuan Bajo, Indonesia on , with an epicentre 151 km north-northeast of Labuan Bajo, at a focal depth of 578.9 km. It ranked as the 55th strongest of 57 earthquakes recorded in Indonesia in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2025-10-12 23:03:39
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 4.2 (light)
Focal depth: 578.9 km (deep)
Epicentre: -7.2289, 120.4140
Location: 151 km NNE of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia
Country: Indonesia
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake radiates roughly 30 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 271, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 07:05 local solar time at the epicentre, around dawn.
This event was deeper than 100% of the 1,646 earthquakes recorded in Indonesia in our catalogue and stronger than 6% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at -7.2289, 120.4140 — 151 km north-northeast of Labuan Bajo. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 5.0 earthquake 58 km east-northeast of here on 01 October 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Ruteng (151 km south), Komodo (161 km south-southwest), Manggarai (173 km southwest) and Ende (180 km south-southeast).
Why the 579 km depth matters
At 579 km this was a deep-focus earthquake, occurring well inside the subducting slab rather than in the crust. Deep events are rarely damaging even at large magnitudes, though they can be felt over very long distances.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its deep focus normally weakens surface shaking while spreading perceptible motion over a broad area.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.2 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 579 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
215 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.7 event near Ende on 14 August 2026. This M4.2 event released about 177,828 times less energy than that event.
9 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 0 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the October 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Indonesia during October 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M5.0 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — (58 km ENE)
- M5.0 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — (62 km SSE)
- M4.8 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — (67 km S)
- M4.8 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — (69 km S)
- M5.2 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — (89 km SE)
- M4.8 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — (97 km S)
- M5.3 earthquake near Labuan Bajo, Indonesia — (98 km SSW)
- M4.4 earthquake near Labuan Bajo, Indonesia — (99 km S)
- M4.5 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — (99 km S)
- M4.7 earthquake near Labuan Bajo, Indonesia — (100 km SSW)
Other recent earthquakes in Indonesia
- M4.4 earthquake near Tambolaka, Indonesia —
- M5.0 earthquake near Tual, Indonesia —
- M4.6 earthquake near Pulau Pulau Tanimbar, Indonesia —
- M5.7 earthquake near Tual, Indonesia —
- M5.3 earthquake near Tobelo, Indonesia —
- M5.4 earthquake near Pundong, Indonesia —
- M4.9 earthquake near Pundong, Indonesia —
- M4.5 earthquake near Tobelo, Indonesia —
- M5.0 earthquake near Ende, Indonesia —
- M4.8 earthquake near Kupang, Indonesia —
Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide
- M4.4 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands —
- M4.5 earthquake near Barcelona, Philippines —
- M4.3 earthquake near Rioblanco, Colombia —
- M4.4 earthquake near Tambolaka, Indonesia —
- M4.5 earthquake near Miyako, Japan —
- M4.2 earthquake near Yacuiba, Bolivia —
- M4.3 earthquake near Panguna, Papua New Guinea —
- M4.4 earthquake near San Fernando, Peru —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Labuan Bajo?
It measured magnitude 4.2 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.2 earthquake radiates roughly 30 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Labuan Bajo?
The focus was 579 km below the surface, which counts as deep.
Was the Labuan Bajo earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 4.2 and a focal depth of 579 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near Labuan Bajo happen?
12 October 2025 at 23:03 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event.
How often do earthquakes happen near Labuan Bajo?
215 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.7 event near Ende on 14 August 2026. This M4.2 event released about 177,828 times less energy than that event.