Earthquake.now

M4.5 Earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia — 23 January 2025

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.5 was recorded near Ruteng, Indonesia on , with an epicentre 157 km north-northeast of Ruteng, at a focal depth of 493.9 km. It ranked as the 24th strongest of 44 earthquakes recorded in Indonesia in the preceding 30 days.

4.5 Light

Time (UTC): 2025-01-23 09:53:15

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.5 (light)

Focal depth: 493.9 km (deep)

Epicentre: -7.2372, 120.8540

Location: 157 km NNE of Ruteng, 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 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 312, 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 17:56 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was deeper than 98% of the 1,535 earthquakes recorded in Indonesia in our catalogue and stronger than 22% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -7.2372, 120.8540 — 157 km north-northeast of Ruteng. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 5.2 earthquake 55 km south-southeast of here on 08 September 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Baubau (136 km east-northeast), Ende (159 km south-southeast), Labuan Bajo (174 km southwest) and Komodo (191 km southwest).

Why the 494 km depth matters

At 494 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 M4.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 494 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.

194 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 M4.5 event released about 63,096 times less energy than that event.

2 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 January 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Indonesia during January 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Indonesia

All recorded earthquakes in Indonesia →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Ruteng?

It measured magnitude 4.5 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Ruteng?

The focus was 494 km below the surface, which counts as deep.

Was the Ruteng earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.5 and a focal depth of 494 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Ruteng happen?

23 January 2025 at 09:53 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 Ruteng?

194 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 M4.5 event released about 63,096 times less energy than that event.