Shallow M5.5 AFTERSHOCK struck on Wednesday Afternoon in the Philippine Sea 100km from Mati (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 7th, 2026. Last updated January 9th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.5 aftershock struck in the Philippine Sea 100 kilometer from Mati, The Philippines around noon of Wednesday January 7th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 8 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 53 kilometers (33 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 100 kilometer east-northeast of Mati in Davao. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 12 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 7, 2026 12:12PM (Manila Time) - Jan 7, 2026 04:12 Universal Time.
Location:	100 km ENE of Mati, Davao, The Philippines. Coordinates 7°17'11"N 127°3'34"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 .
Depth:	12 km (7 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 8 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 8 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 528,800 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 7.1 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 Manay in Davao, The Philippines. Manay is located 58 kilometer (36 mi) east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Manay is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Davao is located 161 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Budta is located 289 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Malingao is located 285 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. 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 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:

• Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Buayan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 1 hr before this earthquake hit, a larger 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck 39 km (24 mi) west-northwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.5 earthquake as an aftershock.

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. In total, 112 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 month.

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 09/01/26 04:08 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rn4a
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260107_0000070
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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