Reported by EMSCPhilippines20d ago
M4.0 earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines
Monday, September 7, 2026, 09:53:53 UTC · 5.610°N, 125.590°E
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck in Mindanao, Philippines on Monday, September 7, 2026, 09:53:53 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.0
- Light · m
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency BMKG
- Nearest tracker
- 72 km
- from General Santos
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
15 tons of TNT
That is about 1/998 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
205 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
10 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 18 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M4.2 on September 11, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.0Mindanao, Philippines1d ago · 44 km SW of this epicenter
- 3.0Mindanao, Philippines3d ago · 39 km SW of this epicenter
- 3.1Mindanao, Philippines4d ago · 42 km W of this epicenter
- 3.2Mindanao, Philippines4d ago · 36 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.0Mindanao, Philippines8d ago · 30 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.6Mindanao, Philippines10d ago · 41 km NE of this epicenter
- 3.0Mindanao, Philippines10d ago · 38 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.1Mindanao, Philippines10d ago · 43 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2,066 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 · 177 km W of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 130 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 150 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 188 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 34 km E of this epicenter
- 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 59 km W of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 270 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 173 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 51 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 11,293 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 182 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 216 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 65 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 60 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 192 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 177 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.