On Monday Afternoon a Significant M5.8 Earthquake struck in the Sulawesi Sea 126km from General Santos (The Philippines).

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

In the Sulawesi Sea 126 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines, a significant M5.8 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Monday July 6th, 2026. Roughly 4.8 million people may have felt this earthquake. Another nearby country is Indonesia.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 63 kilometers (39 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 126 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 04:11PM (Manila Time) - Jul 6, 2026 08:11 Universal Time.
Location:	126 km south of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 4°59'19"N 125°19'34"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 180 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.045 .
Depth:	35 km (22 mi) A quite 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 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 4.8 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 4.8 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 305,400 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 4.5 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 4.6 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). In Indonesia , around 240 thousand people.

Nearby towns and cities

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: The Philippines and Indonesia .

Located 94 kilometer (58 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Glan (Soccsksargen, The Philippines) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Glan is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. General Santos is located 126 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Davao is located 234 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Budta is located 265 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 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

Shaking reported by 10 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 10 people have reported shaking in 7 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:

• Katangawan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 3 people.
• Buayan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Balangonan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Maasim, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Koronadal, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Padada, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

13 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 13 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 30 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.4 was detected 22 km (14 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 28 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

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 26th, 2026, when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit 31 km (19 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on June 7th, 2026.

In total, 56 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 06/07/26 22:58 (). 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 us6000tadc
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260706_0000109
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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