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Indonesia

M5.1 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2025-12-18 05:30:18 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) · 2025-12-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.1 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia) · 2025-12-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.1 earthquake was recorded near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia) on December 18, 2025 at 05:30 UTC. The earthquake originated at an intermediate depth of about 78 km. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

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

Details

ID
876e0799b0537288c3798d1557f16b22a1eee20b
Magnitude
M5.1
Depth
78.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-18 05:30:18 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
City
Maluku Utara
Source
gfz
Coordinates
1.42000, 125.78000
Temperature
27.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 78 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 78 km
Intermediate
78 km
78 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

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Bitung72.5 kmW225'134
General Santos526.2 kmN722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tangkoko-Duasudara
    Distance: 67 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 1880 ·Indonesia
  • Klabat
    Distance: 83 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'968 m ·Indonesia
  • Mahawu
    Distance: 102 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'299 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Indonesia
  • Ruang
    Distance: 109 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 703 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Indonesia
  • Lokon-Empung
    Distance: 109 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'580 m ·Last eruption: 2015 ·Indonesia
  • Soputan
    Distance: 121 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
    96.0 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 hours2
First 24 hours2
First 72 hours6
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M5.02025-12-18 05:30:19 UTC3.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M5.12025-12-18 05:30:20 UTC2.4 kmMaluku Utara M3.52025-12-20 09:34:37 UTC144.8 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.22025-12-20 11:40:08 UTC17.6 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.62025-12-20 14:29:22 UTC79.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.82025-12-21 03:17:11 UTC73.1 kmMOLUCCA SEA M5.72025-12-21 12:21:42 UTC68.4 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M5.72025-12-21 12:21:45 UTC56.7 km129 km E of Bitung, Indonesia M5.62025-12-21 12:21:47 UTC56.7 km129 km E of Bitung, Indonesia M3.02025-12-21 12:38:42 UTC63.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.42025-12-22 10:05:15 UTC61.3 kmMOLUCCA SEA M4.12025-12-22 18:48:16 UTC9.6 kmMOLUCCA SEA

Maluku Utara

Context for this earthquake

04 Oct 2025 – 04 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 782 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#19
Earlier events M≥4149
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 UTC133.6 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M6.12025-07-25 21:30:00 UTC145.7 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M6.02025-07-25 21:29:55 UTC146.1 km126 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M5.92025-04-02 21:03:42 UTC123.4 kmNorth Maluku M5.92025-04-02 21:03:39 UTC133.6 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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