Reported by EMSCPhilippines28d ago
M3.2 earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines
Sunday, August 30, 2026, 13:37:46 UTC · 6.820°N, 126.470°E
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck in Mindanao, Philippines on Sunday, August 30, 2026, 13:37:46 UTC, at a depth of 12.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.2
- Minor · m
- Depth
- 12 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency PIVS
- Nearest tracker
- 119 km
- from Davao
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 kg of TNT
That is about 1/15,825 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 501 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
85 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
12 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 5 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 2,082 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 40 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 48 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 277 km W of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 156 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 207 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 108 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 284 km S of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 195 km N 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 8,441 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 269 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 168 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 208 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 246 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2002M7.5
Mindanao
5 Mar 2002 · 261 km away
15 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 2019M6.8
Mindanao: Davao
15 Dec 2019 · 142 km away
13 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.