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M5.0 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea

UTC time: 2026-05-04 03:37:07 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. How our reports are produced ↗

Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
30.0 km
Source
GFZ

Northern Molucca Sea

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea · 2026-05-04 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near Northern Molucca Sea · 2026-05-04 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.0 earthquake was recorded near Northern Molucca Sea on May 4, 2026 at 03:37 UTC. With a focal depth of about 30 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The data is provided by GFZ and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
b171ed72020b60f628ce3ec2d6ec908ae7d39a89
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
30.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-04 03:37:07 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
gfz
Coordinates
2.99000, 126.54000
Temperature
28.3°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 30 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 30 km
Shallow
30 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
Taruna135.9 kmNW35'307
Bitung233.0 kmSW225'134
General Santos378.9 kmNW722'059

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Banua Wuhu
    Distance: 123 km ·Complex ·Elevation: -5 m ·Last eruption: 1919 ·Indonesia
  • Karangetang Activity reported
    Distance: 128 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'797 m ·Last eruption: 2023 ·Indonesia
  • Awu
    Distance: 144 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'318 m ·Last eruption: 2004 ·Indonesia
  • Ruang
    Distance: 151 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 703 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Indonesia
  • Tarakan
    Distance: 192 km ·Pyroclastic cone(s) ·Elevation: 317 m ·Indonesia
  • Tobaru
    Distance: 197 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'035 m ·Indonesia

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

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

First 6 hours1
First 24 hours5
First 72 hours15
Strongest subsequent eventM4.4
M3.32026-05-04 05:28:58 UTC8.5 kmSulawesi Utara M3.12026-05-04 13:47:02 UTC135.9 kmMaluku Utara M2.92026-05-04 16:21:17 UTC131.5 kmSulawesi Utara M3.52026-05-04 16:54:35 UTC120.5 kmSulawesi Utara M3.42026-05-05 00:15:40 UTC147.7 kmHALMAHERA, INDONESIA M3.82026-05-05 16:28:36 UTC85.6 kmSulawesi Utara M2.92026-05-05 16:38:46 UTC71.3 kmSulawesi Utara M3.12026-05-05 17:53:52 UTC104.3 kmMaluku Utara M2.92026-05-06 01:20:00 UTC148.1 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.32026-05-06 01:26:17 UTC34.2 kmMOLUCCA SEA M2.82026-05-06 07:04:52 UTC59.8 kmMOLUCCA SEA M3.12026-05-06 10:00:05 UTC138.4 kmMOLUCCA SEA

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#44
Earlier events M≥4207
Earlier events M≥555
Compared since2025-01-06

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

Strongest earlier events

M7.02026-01-10 14:58:22 UTC93.3 km245 km NNW of Tobelo, Indonesia M6.72026-01-10 14:58:26 UTC99.0 kmSulawesi Utara M6.72026-01-10 14:58:25 UTC100.5 kmSulawesi Utara M6.52026-01-10 14:58:26 UTC93.0 kmSulawesi Utara M6.42026-01-10 14:58:26 UTC92.4 kmSulawesi Utara

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
600
Country (24h)
—
—
Current earthquakes in
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No recent events available.

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