QuakeScout
Magnitude3.2

Reported by EMSCPhilippines15d ago

M3.2 earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines

Saturday, September 12, 2026, 10:59:30 UTC · 6.540°N, 126.630°E

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck in Mindanao, Philippines on Saturday, September 12, 2026, 10:59:30 UTC, at a depth of 21.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
3.2
Minor · m
Depth
21 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency PIVS
Nearest tracker
149 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

68 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

21 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 M3.9 on September 25, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M41h6h1d3d7d14dMainshock M3.2
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 3.9Mindanao, Philippines1d ago · 38 km S of this epicenter
  2. 3.4Mindanao, Philippines14d ago · 17 km E of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 2,058 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 52 km W of this epicenter
  2. 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 13 km S of this epicenter
  3. 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 290 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 138 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 203 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 117 km NE of this epicenter
  7. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 255 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 221 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 56 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,440 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1976M8.0

    Mindanao: S

    16 Aug 1976 · 282 km away · intensity VI

    8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami

  2. 1913M7.8

    Sangihe Island

    14 Mar 1913 · 143 km away · intensity IX

    138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 2026M7.8

    Mindanao: S; Indonesia

    7 Jun 2026 · 204 km away · intensity VIII

    107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami

  4. 1928M7.4

    Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay

    19 Dec 1928 · 264 km away · intensity VII

    97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 2002M7.5

    Mindanao

    5 Mar 2002 · 269 km away

    15 deaths$2 million damagetsunami

  6. 2019M6.8

    Mindanao: Davao

    15 Dec 2019 · 160 km away

    13 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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