Reported by EMSCPhilippines5d ago
M3.3 earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines
Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 17:40:42 UTC · 5.640°N, 126.700°E
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck in Mindanao, Philippines on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 17:40:42 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.3
- Minor · m
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency PIVS
- Nearest tracker
- 177 km
- from General Santos
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 tons of TNT
That is about 1/11,203 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 355 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
86 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
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 have not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2,065 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 · 300 km W of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 124 km NW of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 88 km N of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 90 km W of this epicenter
- 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 182 km W of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 203 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 157 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 132 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 48 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 11,294 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 298 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 256 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 72 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 183 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 296 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 300 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.