A significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 58 kilometer from Bislig, The Philippines just before midnight of Monday March 17th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 41 kilometers (26 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 58 kilometer east-southeast of Bislig in Caraga. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Mar 17, 2025 11:41PM (Manila Time) - Mar 17, 2025 15:41 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 58 km ESE of Bislig, Caraga, The Philippines. Coordinates 8°2'13"N 126°48'30"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 194 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.041 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Bislig in Caraga, The Philippines. Bislig is located 58 kilometer (36 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Davao is located 170 km to the southwest. Budta is located 277 km to the west-southwest. Malingao is located 275 km to the west-southwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 58 km (36 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bislig Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 82 km (51 mi) W from epicenter |
Trento Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 87 km (54 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Monkayo Davao, The Philippines. |
| 89 km (55 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Compostela Davao, The Philippines. |
| 91 km (57 mi) W from epicenter |
Bunawan Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 94 km (58 mi) W from epicenter |
Veruela Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 96 km (60 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Manay Davao, The Philippines. |
| 104 km (65 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Nabunturan Davao, The Philippines. |
| 107 km (66 mi) SW from epicenter |
San Mariano Davao, The Philippines. |
| 110 km (68 mi) WNW from epicenter |
San Francisco Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 117 km (73 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bah-Bah Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 119 km (74 mi) WSW from epicenter |
New Corella Davao, The Philippines. |
| 122 km (76 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Talacogon Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 129 km (80 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Magugpo Poblacion Davao, The Philippines. |
| 134 km (83 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tandag Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 137 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Mati Davao, The Philippines. |
| 138 km (86 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Cabayangan Davao, The Philippines. |
| 140 km (87 mi) NW from epicenter |
Bayugan Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 148 km (92 mi) SW from epicenter |
Panabo Davao, The Philippines. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter |
Lupon Davao, The Philippines. |
| 162 km (101 mi) SW from epicenter |
Samal Davao, The Philippines. |
| 170 km (106 mi) SW from epicenter |
Davao Davao, The Philippines. |
| 172 km (107 mi) NW from epicenter |
Butuan Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 176 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter |
Libertad Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 185 km (115 mi) NW from epicenter |
Cabadbaran Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 185 km (115 mi) W from epicenter |
Malaybalay Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 186 km (116 mi) NW from epicenter |
Buenavista Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 189 km (117 mi) W from epicenter |
NIA Valencia Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 191 km (119 mi) W from epicenter |
Quezon Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 195 km (121 mi) W from epicenter |
Dologon Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 201 km (125 mi) W from epicenter |
Maramag Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 206 km (128 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Mariano Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 215 km (134 mi) SW from epicenter |
Digos Davao, The Philippines. |
| 221 km (137 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kidapawan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 223 km (139 mi) SW from epicenter |
Malita Davao, The Philippines. |
| 231 km (144 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bugo Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 242 km (150 mi) NW from epicenter |
Surigao Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 243 km (151 mi) W from epicenter |
Cagayan de Oro Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter |
Maluñgun Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 266 km (165 mi) W from epicenter |
Iligan City Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 275 km (171 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Malingao Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 275 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter |
Koronadal Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 277 km (172 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Budta Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 278 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Marawi City Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 279 km (173 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tacurong Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 279 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter |
Polomolok Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 280 km (174 mi) SW from epicenter |
General Santos Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 283 km (176 mi) W from epicenter |
Iligan Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 286 km (178 mi) W from epicenter |
Mantampay Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 287 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bañga Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 296 km (184 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Cotabato Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
Shaking reported by 5 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 5 places, all within Philippines.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Bancasi, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
- Barobo, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
- Bislig, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
- Maygatasan, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
- Canocotan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 79 km (49 mi) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 days later. It measured a magnitude of 3
This main shock was prefaced by 2 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 3 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.2 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
3 days earlier Mar 14, 2025 01:45AM (Manila Time) | 60 km (37 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
14 hrs earlier Mar 16, 2025 01:59AM (Manila Time) | 85 km (53 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 4.2 |
Mar 16, 2025 04:07PM (Manila Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
3 days later Mar 19, 2025 05:23AM (Manila Time) | 79 km (49 mi) N from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 12th, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 95 km (59 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 2nd, 2023.
In total, 174 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 21 days.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 26/03/25 23:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pzc5
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250317_0000157
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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