QuakeScout
Magnitude3.8

Reported by EMSC11d ago

M3.8 earthquake in Philippine Islands Region

Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 18:35:26 UTC · 7.120°N, 127.050°E

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck in Philippine Islands Region on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 18:35:26 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
3.8
Minor · m
Depth
10 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency PIVS
Nearest tracker
176 km
from Davao

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

8 tons of TNT

That is about 1/1,992 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 63 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

20 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

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 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.

M3M41h6h1d3d7dMainshock M3.8
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 3.1Mindanao, Philippines2d ago · 43 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 3.1Mindanao, Philippines4d ago · 47 km NW of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,896 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 · 112 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 88 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 217 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 278 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 37 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 152 km N of this epicenter
  7. 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 296 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 7.619 km E of Gamut, PhilippinesDecember 2, 2023 · 171 km NW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 55 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 329 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1913M7.8

    Sangihe Island

    14 Mar 1913 · 222 km away · intensity IX

    138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  2. 2026M7.8

    Mindanao: S; Indonesia

    7 Jun 2026 · 279 km away · intensity VIII

    107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami

  3. 2019M6.8

    Mindanao: Davao

    15 Dec 2019 · 211 km away

    13 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)

  4. 2019M6.6

    Mindanao: Cotabato, Davao

    29 Oct 2019 · 225 km away

    13 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  5. 2023M6.7

    Mindanao: Davao

    17 Nov 2023 · 279 km away · intensity VII

    11 deaths$29 million damage

  6. 2025M7.4

    Mindanao

    10 Oct 2025 · 44 km away · intensity VI

    10 deaths$6 million damagetsunami

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

Nearby trackers

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