Significant M5.4 AFTERSHOCK struck on Monday Afternoon in the Sulawesi Sea 134km from General Santos (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 6th, 2026.

In the late afternoon of Monday July 6th, 2026, a significant M5.4 aftershock hit in the Sulawesi Sea 134 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines. Roughly 4.2 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 76 kilometers (47 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 134 kilometer south of General Santos in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 6, 2026 04:41PM (Manila Time) - Jul 6, 2026 08:41 Universal Time.
Location:	134 km south of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 4°54'33"N 125°8'33"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 62 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.074 .
Depth:	35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 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 4.2 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 4.2 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 26,370 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.7 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 3.9 million people were exposed to shaking in The Philippines , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded. In Indonesia , around 240 thousand people.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Glan in Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Glan is located 102 kilometer (63 mi) south of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Glan is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. General Santos is located 134 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Davao is located 246 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Budta is located 267 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 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 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places in 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: 1 person.
• Silway, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.8 earthquake struck 22 km (14 mi) north-east in advance of this 5.4 earthquake around 30 mins earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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. In total, 118 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 month.

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 06/07/26 22:08 (). 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 us6000tadj
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260706_0000115
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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