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Indonesia

M5.0 Earthquake near MOLUCCA SEA (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2025-12-18 05:30:19 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.

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near MOLUCCA SEA (Indonesia) · 2025-12-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near MOLUCCA SEA (Indonesia) · 2025-12-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 18, 2025 at 05:30 UTC, a magnitude M5.0 earthquake occurred near MOLUCCA SEA (Indonesia). At around 85 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by EMSC. Indonesia: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 39 earthquakes, the strongest at M6.0.

Details

ID
5e88a8270a0989666a46570c1f9cede8830cff1a
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
84.9 km
UTC time
2025-12-18 05:30:19 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
City
Maluku Utara
Source
emsc
Coordinates
1.40100, 125.75610
Temperature
27.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 84.9 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 84.9 km
Intermediate
84.9 km
84.9 km — deeper than the regional average (43.3 km)
Regional average: 43.3 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Felt reports

2felt 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: Dec 18, 2025, 5:35 AM UTC · Last checked: Sep 6, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Bitung69.9 kmW225'134
General Santos527.9 kmN722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tangkoko-Duasudara
    Distance: 65 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 1880 ·Indonesia
  • Klabat
    Distance: 81 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'968 m ·Indonesia
  • Mahawu
    Distance: 99 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'299 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Indonesia
  • Lokon-Empung
    Distance: 106 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'580 m ·Last eruption: 2015 ·Indonesia
  • Ruang
    Distance: 110 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 703 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Indonesia
  • Soputan
    Distance: 118 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'785 m ·Last eruption: 2020 ·Indonesia

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Sam Ratulangi International AirportIndonesia · MDC · WAMM
    93.7 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-03

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 hours1
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours5
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M5.12025-12-18 05:30:20 UTC4.6 kmMaluku Utara M3.52025-12-20 09:34:37 UTC148.1 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.22025-12-20 11:40:08 UTC20.9 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.62025-12-20 14:29:22 UTC81.6 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.82025-12-21 03:17:11 UTC74.2 kmMOLUCCA SEA M5.72025-12-21 12:21:42 UTC71.3 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M5.72025-12-21 12:21:45 UTC59.6 km129 km E of Bitung, Indonesia M5.62025-12-21 12:21:47 UTC59.6 km129 km E of Bitung, Indonesia M3.02025-12-21 12:38:42 UTC66.0 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.42025-12-22 10:05:15 UTC64.1 kmMOLUCCA SEA M4.12025-12-22 18:48:16 UTC11.0 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.02025-12-23 05:35:00 UTC140.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA

Maluku Utara

Context for this earthquake

04 Oct 2025 – 04 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 782 Catalogue entries

Of 781 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#26
Earlier events M≥4146
Earlier events M≥532
Compared since2025-01-03

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 UTC137.0 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M6.12025-07-25 21:30:00 UTC149.0 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M6.02025-07-25 21:29:55 UTC149.5 km126 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M5.92025-04-02 21:03:42 UTC126.7 kmNorth Maluku M5.92025-04-02 21:03:39 UTC137.0 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, 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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