In the late afternoon of Wednesday October 21st, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 75 kilometer from Laoang, The Philippines.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 64 kilometers (39 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 75 kilometer north-east of Laoang in Eastern Visayas. 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: | Oct 21, 2026 04:37PM (Manila Time) - Oct 21, 2026 08:37 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 75 km NE of Laoang, Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. Coordinates 13°0'16"N 125°32'27"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 126 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.051 . |
| 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 . Located 75 kilometer (47 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Laoang (Eastern Visayas, The Philippines) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Tacloban is located 204 km to the south. Panalanoy is located 203 km to the south. Legaspi is located 196 km to the west.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 75 km (47 mi) SW from epicenter |
Laoang Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 113 km (70 mi) SW from epicenter |
Catarman Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 146 km (91 mi) SW from epicenter |
Calbayog City Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SW from epicenter |
Catbalogan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 155 km (96 mi) NW from epicenter |
Virac Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 156 km (97 mi) S from epicenter |
Borongan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 167 km (104 mi) W from epicenter |
Irosin Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 168 km (104 mi) W from epicenter |
Sorsogon Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 184 km (114 mi) W from epicenter |
Bulan Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 196 km (122 mi) W from epicenter |
Legaspi Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 198 km (123 mi) W from epicenter |
Tagas Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 198 km (123 mi) W from epicenter |
Malilipot Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 200 km (124 mi) W from epicenter |
Tabaco Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 203 km (126 mi) S from epicenter |
Panalanoy Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 204 km (127 mi) S from epicenter |
Tacloban Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 208 km (129 mi) W from epicenter |
Tiwi Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 212 km (132 mi) SW from epicenter |
Carigara Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 214 km (133 mi) S from epicenter |
Palo Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 218 km (135 mi) S from epicenter |
Tanauan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 219 km (136 mi) W from epicenter |
San Jose Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 219 km (136 mi) W from epicenter |
Masbate Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 224 km (139 mi) W from epicenter |
Buhi Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 225 km (140 mi) W from epicenter |
Polangui Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 230 km (143 mi) W from epicenter |
Libon Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 235 km (146 mi) W from epicenter |
Iriga City Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 235 km (146 mi) W from epicenter |
Goa Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 238 km (148 mi) W from epicenter |
Bato Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 239 km (149 mi) W from epicenter |
Nabua Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 241 km (150 mi) W from epicenter |
Baao Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 244 km (152 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ormoc Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 258 km (160 mi) S from epicenter |
Abuyog Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 264 km (164 mi) W from epicenter |
Naga Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 264 km (164 mi) W from epicenter |
Calabanga Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 265 km (165 mi) W from epicenter |
Magarao Bicol, The Philippines. |
| 271 km (168 mi) S from epicenter |
Baybay Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 274 km (170 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bogo Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 284 km (176 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bantayan Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 300 km (186 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mercedes Bicol, The Philippines. |
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:
- Tangnan, Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
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 29th, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 96 km (60 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on September 30th, 2025.
In total, 30 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 4 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
| 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 5.2. 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 11/11/26 00:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000u3t6
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261021_0000121
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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