On Wednesday Night a Shallow M5.6 Earthquake struck in the Sulawesi Sea 110km from General Santos (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 15th, 2025. Last updated April 25th, 2025.

A shallow and significant M5.6 earthquake struck in the Sulawesi Sea 110 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines in the early morning of Wednesday April 16th, 2025. Around 12 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 37 kilometers (23 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 110 kilometer west-southwest of General Santos in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 16, 2025 05:42AM (Manila Time) 10 days ago - Apr 15, 2025 21:42 Universal Time.
Location:	110 km WSW of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 5°47'54"N 124°13'40"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 12 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 12 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 1,373,000 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 10 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In The Philippines , around 12 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). In Indonesia, shaking was experienced too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Located 71 kilometer (44 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Lake Sebu (Soccsksargen, The Philippines) is the nearest significant population center. Lake Sebu experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Budta is located 158 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Malingao is located 154 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). General Santos is located 110 km to the east-northeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 11 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 11 people have reported shaking in 4 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:

• Buayan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 7 people.
• Katangawan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Alabel, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Koronadal, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 95 km (59 mi) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 18 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 July 11th, 2024, when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit 123 km (77 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on January 10th, 2017.

In total, 41 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 3 months.

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

Sources

Last updated 25/04/25 21:48 (6 hours ago). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000q6br
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250415_0000219
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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