On Thursday Afternoon a Significant M5.1 Earthquake struck in the Maluku Sea near Ternate (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 20th, 2025. Last updated December 14th, 2025.

In the early afternoon of Thursday November 20th, 2025, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 87 kilometer from Ternate, Indonesia. Around 1 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 44 kilometers (27 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 87 kilometer north-northwest of Ternate in North Maluku. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 132 km.

Date and Time:	Nov 20, 2025 13:19 (Jayapura Time) - Nov 20, 2025 04:19 Universal Time.
Location:	87 km NNW of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°32'3"N 127°7'56"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 61 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 .
Depth:	132 km (82 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 1 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 18,720 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 0.8 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
227,800	II	Very weak	None
799,400	III	Weak	Probably none
18,720	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 87 kilometer (54 mi) north-northwest of Ternate. Ternate experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
87 km (54 mi) SSE from epicenter	Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia.	III Weak
101 km (63 mi) SSE from epicenter	Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia.	III Weak
248 km (154 mi) W from epicenter	Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
254 km (158 mi) W from epicenter	Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
260 km (162 mi) W from epicenter	Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

5 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 5 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.2 was detected 95 km (59 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 9 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.8 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 4.8	9 hrs earlier Nov 20, 2025 04:06 (Jayapura Time)	64 km (40 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.3	3 hrs earlier Nov 20, 2025 10:29 (Jayapura Time)	41 km (25 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.1	Nov 20, 2025 13:19 (Jayapura Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.5	10 hrs later Nov 20, 2025 23:43 (Jayapura Time)	33 km (20 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	1 day later Nov 21, 2025 20:35 (Jayapura Time)	80 km (50 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	2 days later Nov 22, 2025 04:01 (Jayapura Time)	100 km (62 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	3 days later Nov 23, 2025 04:07 (Jayapura Time)	95 km (59 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	3 days later Nov 23, 2025 06:27 (Jayapura Time)	91 km (56 mi) NW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 15th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 282 km (175 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on July 14th, 2019.

In total, 199 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 18 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 132 km (82 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 14/12/25 06:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.