QuakeScout
Magnitude3.1

Reported by EMSCIndonesia4d ago

M3.1 earthquake in Kepulauan Sangihe, Indonesia

Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 19:03:18 UTC · 4.960°N, 125.350°E

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck in Kepulauan Sangihe, Indonesia on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 19:03:18 UTC, at a depth of 169.0 km (intermediate).

Magnitude
3.1
Minor · m
Depth
169 km
Intermediate
Reported by
EMSC
Agency PIVS
Nearest tracker
129 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

674 kg of TNT

That is about 1/22,353 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 708 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

245 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: intermediate

169 km

Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.

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 M3.5 on September 26, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M31h6h1d3dMainshock M3.1
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 · 24 km N of this epicenter
  2. 3.1Mindanao, Philippines3d ago · 35 km NW of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 2,039 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 · 163 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 206 km NE of this epicenter
  3. 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 219 km NE of this epicenter
  4. 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 206 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 88 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 78 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 138 km SE of this epicenter
  8. 7.7228 km SW of Sarangani, PhilippinesJune 11, 1972 · 183 km SW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 47 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:

  1. 1976M8.0

    Mindanao: S

    16 Aug 1976 · 203 km away · intensity VI

    8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami

  2. 1856

    Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)

    2 Mar 1856 · 144 km away

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

  3. 1913M7.8

    Sangihe Island

    14 Mar 1913 · 96 km away · intensity IX

    138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 2026M7.8

    Mindanao: S; Indonesia

    7 Jun 2026 · 78 km away · intensity VIII

    107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami

  5. 1928M7.4

    Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay

    19 Dec 1928 · 230 km away · intensity VII

    97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  6. 1918M8.3

    Mindanao: Cotabato

    15 Aug 1918 · 163 km away · intensity X

    52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

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

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