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M5.1 Depth: 68.0 km

M5.1 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia)

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

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 57 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.6.

Details

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

Map

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

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.

94%Similarity M5.12025-05-12 UTC 4.6 km ΔM 0.0Depth difference: 28.2 km 79%Similarity M5.92025-04-02 UTC 4.4 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia ΔM 0.8Depth difference: 31.3 km 72%Similarity M4.92025-03-11 UTC 52.5 km122 km NW of Ternate, Indonesia ΔM 0.2Depth difference: 17.7 km 72%Similarity M4.52025-02-02 UTC 39.4 km172 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia ΔM 0.6Depth difference: 18.4 km 71%Similarity M4.32025-01-30 UTC 37.4 km146 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia ΔM 0.8Depth difference: 15.3 km

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 km M3.22025-05-14 22:04:40 UTC81.5 km M3.32025-05-15 05:11:43 UTC68.5 km M3.22025-05-15 10:05:29 UTC93.3 km M2.92025-05-16 15:40:58 UTC53.4 km M3.02025-05-17 08:46:21 UTC88.0 km M3.32025-05-18 00:32:39 UTC132.9 km M3.62025-05-18 19:18:46 UTC78.6 km M3.02025-05-19 08:59:28 UTC100.4 km M3.22025-05-19 15:56:46 UTC129.9 km M4.22025-05-20 07:43:14 UTC133.8 km M2.82025-05-20 12:33:50 UTC111.9 km

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#4
Earlier events M≥450
Earlier events M≥55
Compared since2025-01-02

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-04-02 21:03:39 UTC4.4 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M5.52025-02-05 03:12:30 UTC70.4 km96 km NNW of Ternate, Indonesia M5.22025-04-30 10:24:53 UTC114.5 kmTalaud Islands, Indonesia M5.12025-05-12 17:01:40 UTC4.6 km M5.12025-02-25 18:13:49 UTC95.1 km209 km NW of Tobelo, Indonesia

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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