Reviewed by USGSPhilippines1mo ago
M4.2 earthquake 16 km SW of Balangonan, Philippines
Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 14:24:24 UTC · 5.451°N, 125.268°E
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 16 km SW of Balangonan, Philippines on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 14:24:24 UTC, at a depth of 19.8 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.2
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 20 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- 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
30 tons of TNT
That is about 1/500 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 16 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: shallow
20 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
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
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 50 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on August 28, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,998 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 · 141 km W of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 164 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 189 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 165 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 70 km E of this epicenter
- 7.825 km SW of Kablalan, PhilippinesJune 7, 2026 · 29 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 180 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7228 km SW of Sarangani, PhilippinesJune 11, 1972 · 221 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 51 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 11,293 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 160 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 200 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 95 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 2026M7.8
Mindanao: S; Indonesia
7 Jun 2026 · 29 km away · intensity VIII
107 deaths$25 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 180 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 141 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.