M5.0 earthquake 40 km SW of Balangonan, Philippines

Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 13:23:56 UTC · 5.319°N, 125.097°E

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 40 km SW of Balangonan, Philippines on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 13:23:56 UTC, at a depth of 69.9 km (shallow). USGS received 9 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on July 29, 2026.

Magnitude: 5.0; Moderate · mb
Depth: 70 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 9; Max intensity III
Est. shaking: —; No ShakeMap
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

477 tons of TNT

That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

267 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

70 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.

Did You Feel It?

Where it was felt

Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.

Place	Intensity	Reports	Distance
Katangawan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines	III · Weak	2	118 km
Padada, Southern Mindanao, Philippines	III · Weak	2	164 km
Buayan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines	II · Weak	2	113 km
San Jose (General Santos City, South Cotabato), Southern Mindanao, Philippines	III · Weak	1	112 km
Conel, Southern Mindanao, Philippines	III · Weak	1	120 km
Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia	II · Weak	1	428 km

I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 75 km

USGS lists 54 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on August 5, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 1,946 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 49 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:

1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 155 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 189 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 113 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 31 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 181 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 125 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