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M5.0 Earthquake near MOLUCCA SEA (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2025-12-09 18:02:24 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near MOLUCCA SEA (Indonesia) · 2025-12-09 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near MOLUCCA SEA (Indonesia) · 2025-12-09 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 9, 2025 at 18:02 UTC, a magnitude M5.0 earthquake occurred near MOLUCCA SEA (Indonesia). With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. Indonesia: 33 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M6.6.

Details

ID
493a7251a74e6e33251718d123932e26f3948ae3
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-09 18:02:24 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
City
Maluku Utara
Source
emsc
Coordinates
1.56000, 126.83000
Temperature
27.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — shallower than the regional average (43.7 km)
Regional average: 43.7 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

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Ternate105.4 kmSE210'836
General Santos538.6 kmN722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Todoko-Ranu
    Distance: 78 km ·Caldera(s) ·Elevation: 979 m ·Indonesia
  • Gamkonora
    Distance: 80 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'635 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Indonesia
  • Jailolo
    Distance: 86 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 993 m ·Indonesia
  • Ibu Activity reported
    Distance: 89 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'357 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Indonesia
  • Hiri
    Distance: 91 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 687 m ·Indonesia
  • Tobaru
    Distance: 94 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'035 m ·Indonesia

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours4
First 72 hours6
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M5.12025-12-09 18:02:25 UTC28.9 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M3.52025-12-10 08:33:20 UTC39.7 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M2.82025-12-10 12:41:15 UTC70.7 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.82025-12-10 17:34:55 UTC89.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.22025-12-10 18:04:35 UTC56.0 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.92025-12-12 14:47:33 UTC71.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.82025-12-12 18:12:39 UTC51.7 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M2.72025-12-14 00:47:35 UTC44.5 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M4.32025-12-14 00:55:44 UTC57.2 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M4.32025-12-14 00:55:45 UTC55.0 km77 km WSW of Tobelo, Indonesia M5.12025-12-14 12:03:21 UTC72.4 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M5.02025-12-14 12:03:28 UTC65.2 km158 km ENE of Bitung, Indonesia

Maluku Utara

Context for this earthquake

12 Sep 2025 – 12 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 825 Catalogue entries

Of 824 other entries for this area and period, 22 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#33
Earlier events M≥4160
Earlier events M≥540
Compared since2025-01-02

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.22025-04-02 21:03:37 UTC62.4 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M6.12025-07-25 21:30:00 UTC53.7 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M6.02025-07-25 21:29:55 UTC57.9 km126 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M6.02025-02-05 03:12:28 UTC34.6 kmNorth Maluku M5.92025-04-02 21:03:42 UTC53.2 kmNorth Maluku

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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