Shallow M5.1 AFTERSHOCK struck on Friday Afternoon near Butuan in The Philippines.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 21st, 2026.

In the late afternoon of Friday August 21st, 2026, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 aftershock hit under land 60 kilometer from Butuan in The Philippines.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The Philippines, 60 kilometer (37 mi) north of Butuan in Caraga. 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:	Aug 21, 2026 05:22PM (Manila Time) - Aug 21, 2026 09:22 Universal Time.
Location:	60 km north of Butuan, Caraga, The Philippines. Coordinates 9°28'60"N 125°34'42"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 144 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.047 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (14 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Located 35 kilometer (22 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Surigao (Caraga, The Philippines) is the nearest significant population center.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Butuan is located 60 km to the south. Davao is located 268 km to the south. Budta is located 283 km to the southwest.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place 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:

• Dapa, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.2 earthquake struck 31 km (19 mi) southwest in advance of this 5.1 earthquake around 10 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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 191 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 19 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 21/08/26 20:58 (). 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 us6000tmes
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260821_0000192
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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