Significant M5.4 Earthquake struck on Saturday Evening in the Philippine Sea 121km from General Santos (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 11th, 2026. Last updated August 8th, 2026.

A significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 121 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines in the evening of Saturday July 11th, 2026. Around 5.4 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 55 kilometers (34 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 121 kilometer south of General Santos in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 61 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 11, 2026 06:51PM (Manila Time) - Jul 11, 2026 10:51 Universal Time.
Location:	121 km south of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 5°4'58"N 125°31'0"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 217 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.04 .
Depth:	61 km (38 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 5.4 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 5.4 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 279,900 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 4.8 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 5.1 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). People were exposed to shaking in Indonesia as well.

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 89 kilometer (55 mi) south-east of the epicenter. 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 large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. General Santos is located 121 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Davao is located 222 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Budta is located 264 km to the northwest (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 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 5 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 4 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: 2 people.
• San Jose (General Santos City, South Cotabato), Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Tinagacan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.

34 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 34 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 41 km (25 mi) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 days later. It measured a magnitude of 6.2

In the days before this main shock, 24 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.6 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.

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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 6th, 2026, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 30 km (19 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on June 7th, 2026.

In total, 142 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 26 days.

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 08/08/26 14:18 (). 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 us7000szq0
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260711_0000156
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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