On Friday Evening a Strong M6.5 Earthquake struck in the Sulawesi Sea near General Santos (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on June 26th, 2026.

In the Sulawesi Sea 97 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines, a strong Magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred in the evening of Friday June 26th, 2026. Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Another nearby country is Indonesia.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 39 kilometers (24 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 97 kilometer south of General Santos in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 42 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jun 26, 2026 07:34PM (Manila Time) - Jun 26, 2026 11:34 Universal Time.
Location:	97 km south of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 5°14'21"N 125°11'47"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.5 Detected by 44 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 .
Depth:	42 km (26 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential Tsunami Risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. This earthquake checks all the likely tsunami risk factors: under sea, at a magnitude of MAG-6.5+ and at a shallow depth.

Tsunami Risk Factors

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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 6.6 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 6.6 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Very strong shaking and likely moderate damage may have been experienced by an estimated 26,670 people. At VII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by a large group of people (around 3.2 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 6.4 million people were exposed to shaking in The Philippines , with level VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage) as the highest recorded. Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of Indonesia too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. The Philippines and Indonesia are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Glan in Soccsksargen, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 65 kilometer (40 mi) south of Glan. Glan experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly VI. That level implies strong shaking and probably light damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. General Santos is located 97 km to the north and experienced an intensity of VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). Davao is located 209 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Budta is located 234 km to the north (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 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 VII.

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 42 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 42 people have reported shaking in 21 places in 2 countries (Philippines, Indonesia).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: 8 people.
• San Jose (General Santos City, South Cotabato), Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 4 people.
• Katangawan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 4 people.
• Kiamba, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 3 people.
• Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 3 people.
• Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 2 people.
• Silway, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Koronadal, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Barra, Northern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Bato, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

6 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 6 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 2 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.3 was detected 45 km (28 mi) northwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 36 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.

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 June 8th, 2026, when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit 26 km (16 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on June 7th, 2026.

In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 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 8 months.

Sources

Last updated 26/06/26 18:18 (). 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 us6000t8ec
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260626_0000151
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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