Reported by EMSCPhilippines28d ago
M3.3 earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines
Sunday, August 30, 2026, 05:21:49 UTC · 6.750°N, 126.360°E
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck in Mindanao, Philippines on Sunday, August 30, 2026, 05:21:49 UTC, at a depth of 17.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.3
- Minor · m
- Depth
- 17 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency PIVS
- Nearest tracker
- 111 km
- from Davao
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 tons of TNT
That is about 1/11,203 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 355 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
98 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
17 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 50 km
USGS and EMSC list 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M4.5 on September 2, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2,132 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.31918 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeAugust 15, 1918 · 294 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 25 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 49 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 264 km W of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 144 km S of this epicenter
- 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 193 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 123 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 276 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 58 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,493 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 256 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 157 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 194 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 234 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 294 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2002M7.5
Mindanao
5 Mar 2002 · 247 km away
15 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.