On Monday Night a Shallow M5.6 Earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 272km from Davao (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 21st, 2025. Last updated December 27th, 2025.

In the night of Monday December 22nd, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.6 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 272 kilometer from Davao, The Philippines. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 2.5 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 138 kilometers (86 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 272 kilometer east-northeast of Davao. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 9 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 22, 2025 01:53AM (Manila Time) - Dec 21, 2025 17:53 Universal Time.
Location:	272 km ENE of Davao, The Philippines. Coordinates 8°23'21"N 127°41'56"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 37 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.051 .
Depth:	9 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 2.5 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 2.5 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is III, which corresponds with weak shaking and probably no damage. Roughly 2,401,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of The Philippines .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Bislig in Caraga, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 153 kilometer (95 mi) east of Bislig. The intensity of shaking and damage in Bislig is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Davao is located 272 km to the west-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Butuan is located 245 km to the west-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Libertad is located 249 km to the west-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is III.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

2 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 14 km (9 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 4.7

In the days before this main shock, 4 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

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.

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.

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 20th, 2025, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 159 km (99 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 2nd, 2023.

In total, 52 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 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

Sources

Last updated 27/12/25 17:38 (). 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 us6000rwcs
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251221_0000261
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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