Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck on Wednesday Morning in the Sulawesi Sea 119km from Malingao (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 21st, 2026. Last updated January 22nd, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.4 earthquake struck in the Sulawesi Sea 119 kilometer from Malingao, The Philippines in the morning of Wednesday January 21st, 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, 32 kilometers (20 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 119 kilometer southwest of Malingao in Soccsksargen. 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:	Jan 21, 2026 09:33AM (Manila Time) - Jan 21, 2026 01:33 Universal Time.
Location:	119 km SW of Malingao, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 6°20'49"N 123°46'14"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 .
Depth:	9 km (5 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 1,884,000 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 91 kilometer (57 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 121 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Malingao is located 119 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Davao is located 219 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

26 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 26 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 11 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.7 was detected 35 km (22 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 27 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day 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 255 km (159 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on January 10th, 2017.

In total, 61 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 22/01/26 11:18 (). 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 us7000rr0l
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260121_0000027
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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