Reported by EMSCPhilippines22d ago
M3.2 earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines
Friday, September 4, 2026, 20:21:58 UTC · 7.240°N, 126.350°E
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck in Mindanao, Philippines on Friday, September 4, 2026, 20:21:58 UTC, at a depth of 8.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.2
- Minor · m
- Depth
- 8 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency PIVS
- Nearest tracker
- 99 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
97 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
8 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M3.1 on September 25, 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 2,208 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 · 71 km S of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 97 km S of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 279 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 195 km S of this epicenter
- 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 232 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 103 km E of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 158 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 288 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 63 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 · 271 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 211 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 233 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 240 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2002M7.5
Mindanao
5 Mar 2002 · 268 km away
15 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 2019M6.8
Mindanao: Davao
15 Dec 2019 · 141 km away
13 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.