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M5.1 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2025-05-12 17:01:43 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

M5.1 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia) · 2025-05-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia) · 2025-05-12 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On May 12, 2025 at 17:01 UTC, a magnitude M5.1 earthquake occurred near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 68 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 25 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.3.

Details

ID
4dbedddba6a87e1c51edb8e134eaa91abe6e1190
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
68.0 km
UTC time
2025-05-12 17:01:43 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
City
Maluku Utara
Source
gfz
Coordinates
2.11000, 126.72000
Temperature
28.8°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 68 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 68 km
Shallow
68 km
68 km — deeper 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
Tobelo149.5 kmE34'150
Ternate164.2 kmSE210'836
General Santos477.1 kmN722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tobaru
    Distance: 118 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'035 m ·Indonesia
  • Gamkonora
    Distance: 121 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'635 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Indonesia
  • Ibu Activity reported
    Distance: 122 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'357 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Indonesia
  • Tarakan
    Distance: 127 km ·Pyroclastic cone(s) ·Elevation: 317 m ·Indonesia
  • Todoko-Ranu
    Distance: 127 km ·Caldera(s) ·Elevation: 979 m ·Indonesia
  • Dukono Activity reported
    Distance: 137 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'273 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Indonesia

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours0
First 72 hours4
Strongest subsequent eventM5.1
M3.12025-05-13 18:24:14 UTC80.1 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.22025-05-14 22:04:40 UTC81.5 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.32025-05-15 05:11:43 UTC68.5 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M3.22025-05-15 10:05:29 UTC93.3 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.92025-05-16 15:40:58 UTC53.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.02025-05-17 08:46:21 UTC88.0 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.32025-05-18 00:32:39 UTC132.9 kmKEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA M3.62025-05-18 19:18:46 UTC78.6 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.02025-05-19 08:59:28 UTC100.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.22025-05-19 15:56:46 UTC129.9 kmKEPULAUAN SANGIHE, INDONESIA M4.22025-05-20 07:43:14 UTC133.8 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.82025-05-20 12:33:50 UTC111.9 kmMOLUCCA SEA

Maluku Utara

Context for this earthquake

13 Sep 2025 – 13 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 822 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#6
Earlier events M≥452
Earlier events M≥57
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 UTC4.4 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M6.02025-02-05 03:12:28 UTC77.1 kmNorth Maluku M5.92025-04-02 21:03:42 UTC9.6 kmNorth Maluku M5.92025-04-02 21:03:39 UTC4.4 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M5.22025-04-30 10:24:53 UTC114.5 kmTalaud Islands, Indonesia

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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