In the Sulawesi Sea 178 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred in the morning of Tuesday September 22nd, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, 115 kilometers (71 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 178 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: | Sep 22, 2026 07:48AM (Manila Time) - Sep 21, 2026 23:48 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 178 km south of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 4°31'30"N 125°21'26"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 143 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 . |
| 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 145 kilometer (90 mi) south of Glan.
Major cities near this earthquake: Davao is located 285 km to the north. General Santos is located 178 km to the north. Koronadal is located 227 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 |
|---|---|
| 145 km (90 mi) N from epicenter |
Glan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 161 km (100 mi) N from epicenter |
Malapatan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 175 km (109 mi) N from epicenter |
Alabel Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 178 km (111 mi) N from epicenter |
General Santos Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 191 km (119 mi) N from epicenter |
Polomolok Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 195 km (121 mi) N from epicenter |
Maluñgun Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 202 km (126 mi) N from epicenter |
Lake Sebu Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 206 km (128 mi) N from epicenter |
Tupi Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 212 km (132 mi) N from epicenter |
Malita Davao, The Philippines. |
| 217 km (135 mi) N from epicenter |
Surallah Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 221 km (137 mi) N from epicenter |
Bañga Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 226 km (140 mi) N from epicenter |
Santa Maria Davao, The Philippines. |
| 227 km (141 mi) N from epicenter |
Koronadal Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 247 km (153 mi) N from epicenter |
Digos Davao, The Philippines. |
| 248 km (154 mi) N from epicenter |
Isulan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 250 km (155 mi) N from epicenter |
Magsaysay Davao, The Philippines. |
| 252 km (157 mi) N from epicenter |
Bansalan Davao, The Philippines. |
| 252 km (157 mi) N from epicenter |
Buluan Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 253 km (157 mi) N from epicenter |
Tacurong Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 256 km (159 mi) N from epicenter |
Laguilayan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 274 km (170 mi) N from epicenter |
Lupon Davao, The Philippines. |
| 278 km (173 mi) N from epicenter |
Kidapawan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 279 km (173 mi) N from epicenter |
Maganoy Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 285 km (177 mi) N from epicenter |
Davao Davao, The Philippines. |
| 286 km (178 mi) N from epicenter |
Samal Davao, The Philippines. |
| 286 km (178 mi) N from epicenter |
Mati Davao, The Philippines. |
| 293 km (182 mi) N from epicenter |
Kabacan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 24 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
1 day earlier Sep 21, 2026 04:43AM (Manila Time) | 40 km (25 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.0 |
24 hrs earlier Sep 21, 2026 08:08AM (Manila Time) | 55 km (34 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Sep 22, 2026 07:48AM (Manila Time) | - |
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 August 13th, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 86 km (54 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on June 7th, 2026.
In total, 161 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 23 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 22/09/26 22:08 (). 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 us7000tj1s
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260921_0000420
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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