In the late afternoon of Friday October 17th, 2025, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the South China Sea 56 kilometer from Laoag, The Philippines.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South China Sea, right off the coast of The Philippines (11 mi offshore), 56 kilometer north of Laoag in Ilocos. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 17, 2025 04:14PM (Manila Time) - Oct 17, 2025 08:14 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 56 km north of Laoag, Ilocos, The Philippines. Coordinates 18°42'9"N 120°37'8"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 148 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.047 . |
| Depth: | 34 km (21 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 Laoag in Ilocos, The Philippines. Laoag is located 56 kilometer (35 mi) north of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Laoag is located 56 km to the south. Baguio is located 254 km to the south. Tuguegarao is located 168 km to the south-east.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 56 km (35 mi) S from epicenter |
Laoag Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 59 km (37 mi) S from epicenter |
San Nicolas Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 72 km (45 mi) S from epicenter |
Batac City Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 114 km (71 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Aparri Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 128 km (80 mi) S from epicenter |
Vigan Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 163 km (101 mi) SE from epicenter |
Solana Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 163 km (101 mi) SE from epicenter |
Tabuk Cordillera, The Philippines. |
| 168 km (104 mi) SE from epicenter |
Tuguegarao Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 187 km (116 mi) SE from epicenter |
Cabagan Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 196 km (122 mi) S from epicenter |
Santa Maria Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 197 km (122 mi) S from epicenter |
Tagudin Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 205 km (127 mi) S from epicenter |
Mankayan Cordillera, The Philippines. |
| 205 km (127 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Roxas Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 219 km (136 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ilagan Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 227 km (141 mi) SSE from epicenter |
San Mateo Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 233 km (145 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Diadi Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 234 km (145 mi) S from epicenter |
San Fernando Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 234 km (145 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Ramon Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 242 km (150 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Alicia Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 243 km (151 mi) S from epicenter |
Bauang Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 245 km (152 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Santiago Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 250 km (155 mi) S from epicenter |
La Trinidad Cordillera, The Philippines. |
| 250 km (155 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Solano Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 252 km (157 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Baggabag B Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 253 km (157 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Bayombong Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 254 km (158 mi) S from epicenter |
Baguio Cordillera, The Philippines. |
| 258 km (160 mi) S from epicenter |
Aringay Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 260 km (162 mi) S from epicenter |
Itogon Cordillera, The Philippines. |
| 263 km (163 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Bambang Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 293 km (182 mi) S from epicenter |
Guiset East Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 294 km (183 mi) S from epicenter |
Mangaldan Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 296 km (184 mi) S from epicenter |
Manaoag Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 296 km (184 mi) S from epicenter |
Agoo Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 297 km (185 mi) S from epicenter |
Dagupan Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 299 km (186 mi) S from epicenter |
Binmaley Ilocos, The Philippines. |
10 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 10 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 12 km (8 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 18 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 4.9
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Oct 17, 2025 04:14PM (Manila Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
18 mins later Oct 17, 2025 04:31PM (Manila Time) | 12 km (8 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
3 hrs later Oct 17, 2025 06:45PM (Manila Time) | 9 km (5 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
4 hrs later Oct 17, 2025 08:35PM (Manila Time) | 11 km (7 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
7 hrs later Oct 17, 2025 11:10PM (Manila Time) | 7 km (4 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
12 hrs later Oct 18, 2025 04:00AM (Manila Time) | 26 km (16 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
1 day later Oct 18, 2025 06:50PM (Manila Time) | 12 km (7 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
1 day later Oct 19, 2025 03:20AM (Manila Time) | 6 km (3 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
2 days later Oct 19, 2025 05:19PM (Manila Time) | 15 km (9 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
2 days later Oct 19, 2025 09:33PM (Manila Time) | 20 km (12 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
2 days later Oct 19, 2025 09:35PM (Manila Time) | 31 km (19 mi) SSE 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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 September 18th, 2025, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 214 km (133 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on July 27th, 2022.
In total, 53 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 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
| 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 34 km (21 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 08/11/25 10:48 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rhr9
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251017_0000131
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
