In the Sulawesi Sea 182 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred in the morning of Saturday July 18th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 129 kilometers (80 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 182 kilometer south of General Santos in Soccsksargen. 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 18, 2026 10:23AM (Manila Time) - Jul 18, 2026 02:23 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 182 km south of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 4°30'21"N 124°51'27"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Glan in Soccsksargen, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 152 kilometer (94 mi) south of Glan.
Major cities near this earthquake: Davao is located 297 km to the north. Malingao is located 298 km to the north. General Santos is located 182 km to the north.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 152 km (94 mi) N from epicenter |
Glan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 170 km (106 mi) N from epicenter |
Malapatan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 182 km (113 mi) N from epicenter |
General Santos Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 184 km (114 mi) N from epicenter |
Alabel Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 192 km (119 mi) N from epicenter |
Polomolok Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 192 km (119 mi) N from epicenter |
Lake Sebu Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 203 km (126 mi) N from epicenter |
Maluñgun Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 204 km (127 mi) N from epicenter |
Tupi Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 208 km (129 mi) N from epicenter |
Surallah Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 213 km (132 mi) N from epicenter |
Bañga Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 222 km (138 mi) N from epicenter |
Koronadal Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 228 km (142 mi) N from epicenter |
Malita Davao, The Philippines. |
| 238 km (148 mi) N from epicenter |
Santa Maria Davao, The Philippines. |
| 238 km (148 mi) N from epicenter |
Isulan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 244 km (152 mi) N from epicenter |
Laguilayan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 244 km (152 mi) N from epicenter |
Tacurong Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 246 km (153 mi) N from epicenter |
Buluan Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 254 km (158 mi) N from epicenter |
Magsaysay Davao, The Philippines. |
| 256 km (159 mi) N from epicenter |
Digos Davao, The Philippines. |
| 257 km (160 mi) N from epicenter |
Bansalan Davao, The Philippines. |
| 266 km (165 mi) N from epicenter |
Maganoy Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 279 km (173 mi) N from epicenter |
Kidapawan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 289 km (180 mi) N from epicenter |
Kabacan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 295 km (183 mi) NE from epicenter |
Lupon Davao, The Philippines. |
| 297 km (185 mi) N from epicenter |
Davao Davao, The Philippines. |
| 298 km (185 mi) N from epicenter |
Pagaluñgan Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 298 km (185 mi) N from epicenter |
Malingao Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
Shaking reported by 3 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 3 places in 2 countries (Indonesia, 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:
- Manado, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.
- San Isidro (Koronadal, South Cotabato), Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
- Koronadal, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
3 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4 magnitude earthquake hit 22 hrs later 72 km (45 mi) north-east of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 7 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.7 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
3 days earlier Jul 15, 2026 11:51AM (Manila Time) | 84 km (52 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.9 |
3 days earlier Jul 15, 2026 06:45PM (Manila Time) | 73 km (45 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
2 days earlier Jul 16, 2026 12:45AM (Manila Time) | 99 km (62 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
2 days earlier Jul 16, 2026 01:55PM (Manila Time) | 38 km (24 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.6 |
1 day earlier Jul 17, 2026 12:46AM (Manila Time) | 96 km (60 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Jul 17, 2026 04:00AM (Manila Time) | 93 km (58 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
52 mins earlier Jul 18, 2026 09:31AM (Manila Time) | 82 km (51 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Jul 18, 2026 10:23AM (Manila Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
5 hrs later Jul 18, 2026 03:29PM (Manila Time) | 85 km (53 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
8 hrs later Jul 18, 2026 06:38PM (Manila Time) | 64 km (40 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
22 hrs later Jul 19, 2026 07:53AM (Manila Time) | 72 km (45 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 14th, 2026, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 98 km (61 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on June 7th, 2026.
In total, 140 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/07/26 00:58 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000t1it
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260718_0000040
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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