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M5.7 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia)

UTC time: 2025-12-21 12:21:42 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

M5.7 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia) · 2025-12-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.7 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea (Indonesia) · 2025-12-21 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On December 21, 2025 at 12:21 UTC, a magnitude M5.7 earthquake occurred near Northern 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 event was recorded by GFZ. Indonesia: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 27 earthquakes, the strongest at M5.9.

Details

ID
9dedde9c5435a1821b15432210e616859ebe5c5b
Magnitude
M5.7
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2025-12-21 12:21:42 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Indonesia
City
Maluku Utara
Source
gfz
Coordinates
1.50000, 126.39000
Temperature
28.8°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 (43.4 km)
Regional average: 43.4 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
Ternate135.8 kmSE210'836
General Santos530.4 kmN722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Todoko-Ranu
    Distance: 122 km ·Caldera(s) ·Elevation: 979 m ·Indonesia
  • Hiri
    Distance: 123 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 687 m ·Indonesia
  • Jailolo
    Distance: 126 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 993 m ·Indonesia
  • Gamkonora
    Distance: 127 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'635 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·Indonesia
  • Gamalama
    Distance: 130 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'714 m ·Last eruption: 2018 ·Indonesia
  • Tangkoko-Duasudara
    Distance: 134 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'334 m ·Last eruption: 1880 ·Indonesia

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours3
First 24 hours6
First 72 hours9
Strongest subsequent eventM5.7
M5.72025-12-21 12:21:45 UTC12.0 km129 km E of Bitung, Indonesia M5.62025-12-21 12:21:47 UTC11.9 km129 km E of Bitung, Indonesia M3.02025-12-21 12:38:42 UTC11.0 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.22025-12-22 03:51:24 UTC88.6 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M3.12025-12-22 04:36:14 UTC105.1 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M3.42025-12-22 10:05:15 UTC8.0 kmMOLUCCA SEA M4.12025-12-22 18:48:16 UTC61.7 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.72025-12-22 20:15:16 UTC98.6 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M3.02025-12-23 05:35:00 UTC78.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.42025-12-25 08:50:51 UTC115.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.62025-12-25 20:48:37 UTC46.9 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.12025-12-26 09:30:57 UTC117.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA

Maluku Utara

Context for this earthquake

03 Oct 2025 – 03 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 782 Catalogue entries

Of 781 other entries for this area and period, 3 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#8
Earlier events M≥4186
Earlier events M≥551
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 UTC79.9 km145 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M6.12025-07-25 21:30:00 UTC84.9 kmNorthern Molucca Sea M6.02025-07-25 21:29:55 UTC86.8 km126 km WNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M6.02025-02-05 03:12:28 UTC83.7 kmNorth Maluku M5.92025-04-02 21:03:42 UTC68.3 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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