Reported by EMSCPhilippines20d ago
M3.6 earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines
Monday, September 7, 2026, 08:47:39 UTC · 7.980°N, 123.080°E
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck in Mindanao, Philippines on Monday, September 7, 2026, 08:47:39 UTC, at a depth of 7.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.6
- Minor · m
- Depth
- 7 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency PIVS
- Nearest tracker
- 154 km
- from Cotabato
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4 tons of TNT
That is about 1/3,975 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 126 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
442 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
7 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event; the largest was M3.2 on September 26, 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 539 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 · 290 km S of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 218 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.661 km W of Bantogon, PhilippinesJuly 23, 2010 · 171 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5Mindanao, PhilippinesMarch 5, 2002 · 252 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.572 km S of Panubigan, PhilippinesJuly 23, 2010 · 135 km S of this epicenter
- 7.410 km ESE of Basak, PhilippinesDecember 19, 1928 · 191 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4Mindanao, PhilippinesMarch 31, 1955 · 37 km S of this epicenter
- 7.34 km NNW of Tabid, PhilippinesMarch 5, 1984 · 77 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 43 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,995 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 218 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1955M7.4
Mindanao: Lanao,Ozamiz,Cotabato
31 Mar 1955 · 37 km away · intensity VIII
465 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 2013M7.1
Bohol, Cebu, Siquijor Is
15 Oct 2013 · 240 km away · intensity IX
222 deaths$52 million damage
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 191 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 290 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2012M6.7
Negros Oriental Province
6 Feb 2012 · 225 km away · intensity VIII
51 deaths$9 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.