QuakeScout
Magnitude3.0

Reported by EMSCIndonesia6d ago

M3.0 earthquake in Kepulauan Sangihe, Indonesia

Sunday, September 20, 2026, 20:43:08 UTC · 4.880°N, 125.280°E

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck in Kepulauan Sangihe, Indonesia on Sunday, September 20, 2026, 20:43:08 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
3.0
Minor · m
Depth
15 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency PIVS
Nearest tracker
137 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

255 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

15 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 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M5.3 on September 21, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M51h6h1d3d7dMainshock M3.0
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 3.5Mindanao, Philippines1d ago · 34 km N of this epicenter
  2. 3.1Mindanao, Philippines3d ago · 38 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 3.1Kepulauan Sangihe, Indonesia4d ago · 12 km NE of this epicenter
  4. 5.396 km S of Sarangani, Philippines5d ago · 39 km S of this epicenter
  5. 4.654 km S of Sarangani, Philippines6d ago · 13 km E of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 2,017 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.31918 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeAugust 15, 1918 · 160 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 217 km NE of this epicenter
  3. 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 231 km NE of this epicenter
  4. 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 207 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 100 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 84 km N of this epicenter
  7. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 140 km SE of this epicenter
  8. 7.7228 km SW of Sarangani, PhilippinesJune 11, 1972 · 172 km SW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 42 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 11,282 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1976M8.0

    Mindanao: S

    16 Aug 1976 · 205 km away · intensity VI

    8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami

  2. 1856

    Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)

    2 Mar 1856 · 137 km away

    2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  3. 1913M7.8

    Sangihe Island

    14 Mar 1913 · 107 km away · intensity IX

    138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 2026M7.8

    Mindanao: S; Indonesia

    7 Jun 2026 · 83 km away · intensity VIII

    107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami

  5. 1928M7.4

    Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay

    19 Dec 1928 · 233 km away · intensity VII

    97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  6. 1918M8.3

    Mindanao: Cotabato

    15 Aug 1918 · 160 km away · intensity X

    52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

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

Nearby trackers

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