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M5.1 Depth: 10.0 km

M5.1 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2025-12-09 18:02:25 UTC Local time: —

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.1 earthquake was recorded near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia) on December 9, 2025 at 18:02 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by GFZ. Indonesia: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 57 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.6.

Details

Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-09 18:02:25 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
City
Maluku Utara
Source
gfz
Coordinates
1.66000, 126.59000
Temperature
27.9°C

Map

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Ternate130.9 kmSE210'836
General Santos519.5 kmN722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Similar earlier earthquakes

Earlier recorded earthquakes ranked by distance, magnitude, depth and country within 150 km. Similarity does not imply the same fault or a direct relationship.

92%Similarity M4.82025-11-27 UTC 4.6 kmNorthern Molucca Sea ΔM 0.3Depth difference: 20.0 km 91%Similarity M4.92025-11-23 UTC 16.5 km ΔM 0.2Depth difference: 7.0 km 89%Similarity M5.02025-12-09 UTC 28.9 km ΔM 0.1Depth difference: 0.0 km 86%Similarity M4.92025-11-23 UTC 16.5 km146 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia ΔM 0.2Depth difference: 37.5 km 86%Similarity M4.92025-11-23 UTC 21.0 kmNorthern Molucca Sea ΔM 0.2Depth difference: 30.0 km

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours3
First 72 hours5
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M3.52025-12-10 08:33:20 UTC64.5 km M2.82025-12-10 12:41:15 UTC79.9 km M2.82025-12-10 17:34:55 UTC60.5 km M3.22025-12-10 18:04:35 UTC41.7 km M2.92025-12-12 14:47:33 UTC44.8 km M2.82025-12-12 18:12:39 UTC73.5 km M2.72025-12-14 00:47:35 UTC58.7 km M4.32025-12-14 00:55:44 UTC79.9 km M4.32025-12-14 00:55:45 UTC82.0 km77 km WSW of Tobelo, Indonesia M5.12025-12-14 12:03:21 UTC61.5 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M5.02025-12-14 12:03:28 UTC41.1 km158 km ENE of Bitung, Indonesia M2.82025-12-14 15:13:59 UTC46.9 km

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#24
Earlier events M≥4171
Earlier events M≥542
Compared since2025-01-02

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M6.12025-07-25 21:30:00 UTC56.6 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M5.92025-04-02 21:03:39 UTC54.1 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M5.82025-07-25 21:29:56 UTC58.8 km M5.52025-08-17 15:03:16 UTC71.1 km118 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M5.52025-08-13 16:45:48 UTC135.0 kmNorthern Molucca Sea

Historic earthquake map · Indonesia

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Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Indonesia

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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