Significant M5.4 Earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea near Tandag (The Philippines) on Saturday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 18th, 2025. Last updated November 8th, 2025.

In the evening of Saturday October 18th, 2025, a significant M5.4 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 38 kilometer from Tandag, The Philippines. Roughly 12 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of The Philippines (9 mi offshore), 38 kilometer south-east of Tandag in Caraga. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 63 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 18, 2025 08:31PM (Manila Time) - Oct 18, 2025 12:31 Universal Time.
Location:	38 km SE of Tandag, Caraga, The Philippines. Coordinates 8°51'42"N 126°28'4"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 .
Depth:	63 km (39 mi) A quite 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 2,082,000 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 8 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of The Philippines .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Tandag in Caraga, The Philippines. Tandag is located 38 kilometer (24 mi) south-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Tandag is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Davao is located 220 km to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Budta is located 290 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Malingao is located 290 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 14 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 14 people have reported shaking in 12 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:

• Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Ula, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Aras-Asan, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Andili, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Butuan, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Nabunturan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Cabadbaran, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Barra, Northern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Purok, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Canocotan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

12 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 12 smaller aftershocks. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 33 km (20 mi) east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 11 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 20 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.

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 October 16th, 2025, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 107 km (66 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 2nd, 2023.

In total, 125 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 29 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

Sources

Last updated 08/11/25 15:08 (). 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 us6000ri11
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251018_0000157
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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