Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Night in the Sulawesi Sea 123km from Malingao (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 19th, 2026. Last updated February 16th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.4 earthquake struck in the Sulawesi Sea 123 kilometer from Malingao, The Philippines deep in the night of Tuesday January 20th, 2026. Around 16 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 37 kilometers (23 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 123 kilometer southwest of Malingao in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 20, 2026 03:00AM (Manila Time) - Jan 19, 2026 19:00 Universal Time.
Location:	123 km SW of Malingao, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 6°21'21"N 123°42'60"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 .
Depth:	10 km (6 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 16 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 16 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.

An estimated 2,055,000 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 12 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In The Philippines , around 16 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). People were exposed to shaking in Indonesia as well.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Laguilayan in Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Laguilayan is located 96 kilometer (60 mi) west-southwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Laguilayan is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Budta is located 124 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Malingao is located 123 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Davao is located 224 km to the east-northeast (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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

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 6 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 4 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:

• Buayan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 3 people.
• Kalawag, Central Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Tulunan, Central Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

60 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 60 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.4 was detected 7 km (4 mi) south of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 3 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 7 mins earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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 November 25th, 2025, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 274 km (171 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on January 10th, 2017.

In total, 58 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 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 16/02/26 01:38 (). 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 us7000rqmd
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260119_0000255
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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