Earthquake.now

M6.3 Earthquake near Gorontalo, Indonesia — 23 July 2025

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.3 was recorded near Gorontalo, Indonesia on , with an epicentre 109 km west of Gorontalo, at a focal depth of 144.6 km. It ranked as the 5th strongest of 79 earthquakes recorded in Indonesia in the preceding 30 days.

6.3 Strong

Time (UTC): 2025-07-23 20:50:44

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 6.3 (strong)

Focal depth: 144.6 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 0.4437, 122.0860

Location: 109 km W of Gorontalo, Indonesia

Country: Indonesia

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Strong earthquakes can cause significant damage in populated areas within roughly 100 km of the epicentre, particularly to older masonry buildings. Landslides and liquefaction become a real risk in susceptible ground.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake radiates roughly 42,502 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 612, which meets 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 04:59 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.

This event was deeper than 86% of the 1,535 earthquakes recorded in Indonesia in our catalogue and stronger than 99% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 0.4437, 122.0860 — 109 km west of Gorontalo. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.8 earthquake 10 km southwest of here on 29 November 2025.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Luwuk (167 km south), Modisi (197 km east-southeast), Poso (231 km south-southwest) and Manado (265 km northeast).

Why the 145 km depth matters

At 145 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size can produce strong, widely felt shaking. Its intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow event of the same magnitude.

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 M6.3 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 145 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

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.5.

102 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.7 event near Palu on 16 June 2026. This M6.3 event released about 4.0 times less energy than that event.

19 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 2 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 July 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Indonesia during July 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 6 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 6 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Gorontalo?

It measured magnitude 6.3 — a strong earthquake. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake radiates roughly 42,502 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Gorontalo?

The focus was 145 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Gorontalo earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 6.3 and a focal depth of 145 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Gorontalo happen?

23 July 2025 at 20:50 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.5.

How often do earthquakes happen near Gorontalo?

102 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.7 event near Palu on 16 June 2026. This M6.3 event released about 4.0 times less energy than that event.