Indonesia: Magnitude-5.1 offshore earthquake occurs off the southern coast of West Papua Province at 14:25 Jan. 9

A magnitude-5.1 offshore earthquake occurred in the Arafura Sea off the southern coast of West Papua Province at around 14:25 Jan. 9. The epicenter was about 192 km (119 miles) northeast of Tual. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), and light shaking was probably felt throughout parts of southern and central West Papua, far eastern Maluku, and far western Central Papua provinces. There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake, and significant damage is unlikely. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Light aftershocks are likely over the coming days. The event has not prompted any tsunami advisories.

Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible, particularly near the earthquake's epicenter.