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Indonesia · North Maluku

M5.1 Earthquake near North Maluku (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2026-07-20 09:40:43 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis. How our reports are produced ↗

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M5.1 Earthquake near North Maluku (Indonesia) · 2026-07-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near North Maluku (Indonesia) · 2026-07-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.1 earthquake was recorded near North Maluku (Indonesia) on July 20, 2026 at 09:40 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 70 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by USGS. Indonesia: 48 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.6.

Details

ID
482b5b5c6039c2fec1d8ad3e0d50b63b5a4ec1ea
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
70.0 km
UTC time
2026-07-20 09:40:43 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
State
North Maluku
City
North Maluku
Source
usgs
Coordinates
1.60210, 127.26590
Temperature
27.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 70 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 70 km
Shallow
70 km
70 km — deeper than the regional average (43.8 km)
Regional average: 43.8 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Felt reports

1felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake

Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.

Data updated: Jul 20, 2026, 9:54 AM UTC · Last checked: Sep 6, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Estimated impact

1 Felt reports · max reported intensity 2.5

Tectonic context

Located on the Birds Head Plate.
Near the boundary Sunda ↔ Birds Head · about 81 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Tobelo83.8 kmE34'150
Ternate91.2 kmS210'836
General Santos552.7 kmNW722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Gamkonora
    Distance: 38 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'635 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Indonesia
  • Ibu Activity reported
    Distance: 42 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'357 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Indonesia
  • Tobaru
    Distance: 45 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'035 m ·Indonesia
  • Todoko-Ranu
    Distance: 46 km ·Caldera(s) ·Elevation: 979 m ·Indonesia
  • Jailolo
    Distance: 61 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 993 m ·Indonesia
  • Tarakan
    Distance: 67 km ·Pyroclastic cone(s) ·Elevation: 317 m ·Indonesia

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Sultan Babullah AirportIndonesia · TTE · WAEE
    86.7 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-06

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

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 hours12
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M2.92026-07-20 20:47:50 UTC147.9 kmNorth Maluku M2.92026-07-20 22:10:04 UTC127.0 kmNorth Maluku M2.72026-07-21 07:50:37 UTC71.2 kmNorth Maluku M3.62026-07-21 10:23:35 UTC10.9 kmNorth Maluku M3.52026-07-21 12:36:14 UTC94.8 kmNorth Maluku M2.92026-07-21 21:09:42 UTC41.3 kmNorth Maluku M2.92026-07-22 11:39:15 UTC105.6 kmNorth Maluku M3.12026-07-22 13:15:49 UTC35.3 kmNorth Maluku M3.82026-07-22 18:36:01 UTC142.7 kmNorth Maluku M3.22026-07-22 19:34:52 UTC35.0 kmNorth Maluku M3.42026-07-23 05:24:02 UTC84.0 kmNorth Maluku M3.12026-07-23 08:36:45 UTC99.9 kmNorth Maluku

Comparison of seismic sources

2 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.1 to M5.3.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
USGSM5.170.0 km0.0 km
EMSCM5.3125.0 km17.0 km

North Maluku

Context for this earthquake

07 Sep 2025 – 07 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 305 Catalogue entries

Of 304 other entries for this area and period, 10 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#98
Earlier events M≥4512
Earlier events M≥5158
Compared since2025-01-02

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

Strongest earlier events

M7.82026-04-01 22:48:15 UTC103.1 kmMaluku Utara M7.52026-04-01 22:48:14 UTC120.5 kmMaluku Utara M7.42026-04-01 22:48:14 UTC119.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M7.42026-04-01 22:48:13 UTC115.3 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M7.32026-04-01 22:48:15 UTC116.7 kmIndonesia [Sea]

Historic earthquake map · Indonesia

Open history map
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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