Reviewed by USGSPhilippines1mo ago
M4.6 earthquake 24 km SW of Burias, Philippines
Saturday, August 1, 2026, 03:42:50 UTC · 5.576°N, 125.079°E
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 24 km SW of Burias, Philippines on Saturday, August 1, 2026, 03:42:50 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). USGS received 4 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on July 29, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 4
- Max intensity IV
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
259 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
35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pangyan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | IV · Light | 1 | 53 km |
| Glan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | III · Weak | 1 | 53 km |
| Buayan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | II · Weak | 1 | 78 km |
| Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia | II · Weak | 1 | 448 km |
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 50 km
USGS lists 22 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 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.
- 4.44 km ENE of Baliton, Philippines27d ago · 29 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.216 km SW of Balangonan, Philippines1mo ago · 25 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.818 km W of Sarangani, Philippines1mo ago · 33 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.820 km SSW of Balangonan, Philippines1mo ago · 28 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.524 km SW of Balangonan, Philippines1mo ago · 19 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.928 km WSW of Balangonan, Philippines1mo ago · 17 km S of this epicenter
- 5.312 km SSW of Sarangani, Philippines1mo ago · 50 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.644 km SW of Sarangani, Philippines1mo ago · 49 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,934 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 · 120 km W of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 168 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 199 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 140 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 90 km E of this epicenter
- 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 4 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 205 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7228 km SW of Sarangani, PhilippinesJune 11, 1972 · 223 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 52 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 11,295 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 135 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 217 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 118 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 4 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 156 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 120 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.