Reported by EMSCIndonesia16d ago
M3.0 earthquake in Kepulauan Talaud, Indonesia
Thursday, September 10, 2026, 23:07:30 UTC · 4.970°N, 126.280°E
A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck in Kepulauan Talaud, Indonesia on Thursday, September 10, 2026, 23:07:30 UTC, at a depth of 1.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.0
- Minor · m
- Depth
- 1 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency PIVS
- Nearest tracker
- 176 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
477 kg of TNT
That is about 1/31,575 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1,000 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
146 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
1 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 M3.8 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 2,224 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 · 261 km W of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 184 km N of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 168 km N of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 288 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 77 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 153 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 289 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 79 km S 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 11,292 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 283 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 168 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 46 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 153 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 297 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 261 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.