On Wednesday Morning a Shallow M5.4 FORESHOCK struck in the Sulawesi Sea 100km from Malingao (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 28th, 2026. Last updated February 18th, 2026.

In the Sulawesi Sea 100 kilometer from Malingao, The Philippines, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.4 foreshock occurred in the morning of Wednesday January 28th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 18 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 21 kilometers (13 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 100 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 28, 2026 09:41AM (Manila Time) - Jan 28, 2026 01:41 Universal Time.
Location:	100 km SW of Malingao, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 6°30'40"N 123°50'54"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 73 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 18 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 18 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 91,290 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 14 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 18 million people were exposed to shaking in The Philippines , with level V (moderate shaking, very light damage) as the highest recorded. In Indonesia, shaking was experienced too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Maganoy in Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. Maganoy is located 76 kilometer (47 mi) west-southwest of the epicenter. Maganoy experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Budta is located 101 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Malingao is located 100 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Davao is located 205 km to the east-northeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

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 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 V.

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 7 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 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: 4 people.
• Tamontaka, Muslim Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Silway, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

This is likely a foreshock

This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.9 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.

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 January 21st, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 28 km (17 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on January 10th, 2017.

In total, 66 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 18/02/26 00:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000s4ws
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260128_0000021
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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