Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck on Monday Morning in the Philippine Sea near Legaspi (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 13th, 2026.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 85 kilometer from Legaspi, The Philippines in the morning of Monday July 13th, 2026. Roughly 18 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of The Philippines (10 mi offshore), 85 kilometer southwest of Legaspi in Bicol. 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:	Jul 13, 2026 08:54AM (Manila Time) - Jul 13, 2026 00:54 Universal Time.
Location:	85 km SW of Legaspi, Bicol, The Philippines. Coordinates 12°47'32"N 123°2'37"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong 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 18 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 18 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 43,870 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 13 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of The Philippines .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Libon in Bicol, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 71 kilometer (44 mi) southwest of Libon. The intensity of shaking and damage in Libon is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Quezon City is located 298 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Cebu City is located 290 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low). Taguig is located 287 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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is V.

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 4 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 4 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:

• Claveria, Bicol, Philippines: 1 person.
• Tabaco, Bicol, Philippines: 1 person.
• Sagpon, Bicol, Philippines: 1 person.
• Marupit, Bicol, Philippines: 1 person.

4 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 4 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 12 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.7 was detected 5 km (3 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 3 magnitude earthquake hit 3 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 May 4th, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 276 km (171 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on September 30th, 2025.

In total, 37 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 3 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 13/07/26 23:38 (). 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 us7000szyr
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260713_0000010
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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