In the Sulawesi Sea 156 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred around noon of Monday November 3rd, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 92 kilometers (57 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 156 kilometer south of General Santos in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 27 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 3, 2025 12:21PM (Manila Time) - Nov 3, 2025 04:21 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 156 km south of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 4°43'31"N 125°21'41"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 9 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.103 . |
| Depth: | 27 km (17 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 . Glan in Soccsksargen, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 123 kilometer (76 mi) south of Glan.
Major cities near this earthquake: Davao is located 263 km to the north. General Santos is located 156 km to the north. Budta is located 294 km to the north-northwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 123 km (76 mi) N from epicenter |
Glan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 139 km (86 mi) N from epicenter |
Malapatan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 153 km (95 mi) N from epicenter |
Alabel Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 156 km (97 mi) N from epicenter |
General Santos Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 170 km (106 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Polomolok Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 173 km (107 mi) N from epicenter |
Maluñgun Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 182 km (113 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Lake Sebu Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 185 km (115 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tupi Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 190 km (118 mi) N from epicenter |
Malita Davao, The Philippines. |
| 196 km (122 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Surallah Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 200 km (124 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Bañga Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 204 km (127 mi) N from epicenter |
Santa Maria Davao, The Philippines. |
| 206 km (128 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Koronadal Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 225 km (140 mi) N from epicenter |
Digos Davao, The Philippines. |
| 228 km (142 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Isulan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 228 km (142 mi) N from epicenter |
Magsaysay Davao, The Philippines. |
| 230 km (143 mi) N from epicenter |
Bansalan Davao, The Philippines. |
| 230 km (143 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Buluan Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tacurong Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 235 km (146 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Laguilayan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 252 km (157 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Lupon Davao, The Philippines. |
| 256 km (159 mi) N from epicenter |
Kidapawan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 259 km (161 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Maganoy Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 263 km (163 mi) N from epicenter |
Davao Davao, The Philippines. |
| 264 km (164 mi) N from epicenter |
Samal Davao, The Philippines. |
| 265 km (165 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Mati Davao, The Philippines. |
| 271 km (168 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kabacan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 288 km (179 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Malingao Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 289 km (180 mi) N from epicenter |
Panabo Davao, The Philippines. |
| 289 km (180 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Midsayap Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 290 km (180 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Pagaluñgan Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Budta Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in one place in 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: 2 people.
9 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 9 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.7 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days later 36 km (22 mi) northwest of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 16 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.0 |
16 hrs earlier Nov 2, 2025 08:04PM (Manila Time) | 43 km (27 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Nov 3, 2025 12:21PM (Manila Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
1 min later Nov 3, 2025 12:22PM (Manila Time) | 17 km (11 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
11 mins later Nov 3, 2025 12:32PM (Manila Time) | 43 km (27 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 hrs later Nov 3, 2025 02:21PM (Manila Time) | 33 km (20 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
14 hrs later Nov 4, 2025 02:43AM (Manila Time) | 28 km (18 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
1 day later Nov 4, 2025 05:54PM (Manila Time) | 42 km (26 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
1 day later Nov 4, 2025 08:47PM (Manila Time) | 89 km (55 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
2 days later Nov 5, 2025 01:55AM (Manila Time) | 94 km (58 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
3 days later Nov 6, 2025 12:38AM (Manila Time) | 36 km (22 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
3 days later Nov 6, 2025 02:25AM (Manila Time) | 68 km (42 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
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 October 10th, 2025, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 295 km (183 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on July 11th, 2024.
In total, 136 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 27 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 27 km (17 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 09/11/25 04:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rl4e
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251103_0000081
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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