Shallow M5.6 AFTERSHOCK hit in the Sulawesi Sea 117km from Malingao (The Philippines) on Wednesday Afternoon.

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

In the late afternoon of Wednesday January 28th, 2026, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.6 aftershock hit in the Sulawesi Sea 117 kilometer from Malingao, The Philippines. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 17 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 43 kilometers (27 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 117 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 04:38PM (Manila Time) - Jan 28, 2026 08:38 Universal Time.
Location:	117 km SW of Malingao, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 6°30'23"N 123°38'34"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 203 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.042 .
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 17 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 17 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 1,900,000 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 14 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 17 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Maganoy in Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 97 kilometer (60 mi) west-southwest of Maganoy. Maganoy experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Budta is located 117 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Malingao is located 117 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Davao is located 226 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

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 7 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 people have reported shaking in 6 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: 2 people.
• Dansuli, Central Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Polonuling, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Conel, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Koronadal, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• San Jose (General Santos City, South Cotabato), Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.9 earthquake struck 19 km (12 mi) east-southeast in advance of this 5.6 earthquake around 2 hrs earlier.

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 31 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 4 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 11:08 (). 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 us6000s4yn
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260128_0000144
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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