Moderate magnitude 4.9 earthquake at 84 km depth31 Aug 04:09 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 4 minutes.31 Aug 04:11: Now using data updates from BMKG... [show all] ...31 Aug 04:13: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 10.00 to 46.00 km (from 6.2 to 29 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 17 km (10.3 mi) towards SW.31 Aug 04:17: Magnitude recalculated from 5.0 to 4.9. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 46.00 to 63.00 km (from 29 to 39 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 5.7 km (3.5 mi) towards S.31 Aug 04:17: Now using data updates from USGSUpdate Mon, 31 Aug 2026, 04:12Significant magnitude 5.0 earthquake 65 km northeast of Santa Monica, PhilippinesAn earthquake of magnitude 5.0 occurred around noon on Monday, August 31st, 2026, at 12:04 pm local time near Santa Monica, Surigao del Norte, Caraga, Philippines, as reported by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency.According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 10. km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.Weak shaking might have been felt in Santa Monica (pop. 2,300) located 65 km from the epicenter, Libas (pop. 3,400) 77 km away, Dapa (pop. 8,800) 78 km away, Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte (pop. 4,300) 79 km away, Socorro (pop. 9,700) 95 km away, and San Jose (pop. 26,700) 114 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and report it here.Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | iOSI didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeAug 31, 2026 04:04:34 UTC - Local time at epicenterMonday, Aug 31, 2026, at 12:04 pm (Asia/Manila GMT +8)Statusconfirmed (manually revised)Magnitude4.90Depth84 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude9.6408°N / 126.1362°EProvince of Surigao del Norte, Caraga, PhilippinesSeismic antipode9.6408°S / 53.864°WBrazilQuality49 seismic stationsShaking intensityIII Weak shaking near epicenterFelt3 reportsPrimary data sourceUSGS (United States Geological Survey)Nearest volcanoPaco (68 km / 42 mi)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeBroken Clouds 29.8°C (86 F), humidity: 66%, wind: 1 m/s (1 kts) from NEstimated seismic energy released1.4 x 1012 joules (392 megawatt hours, equivalent to 338 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 4.9 | about seismic energy29 minutes ago reported feltAug 31, 2026 04:04 GMT / Aug 31, 2026 12:04 pm (Manila time)Lat / Lng: 9.6408 / 126.1362: 13 km SSE of Union, PhilippinesSource: USGSOther sources: GFZ: 4.9 / 135 km, RaspberryShake: 4.9 / 135 km, 1 more...Detail info | Read user reports | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-23324988',9.64080,126.13620,'29 minutes ago: Mag. 4.9, 13 km SSE of Union, Philippines',html,'quakes-6-24.png',25,25,12,12,125]); function mkRep(id,notFelt){var nFelt=notFelt||false;var src="https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/app/earthquake-report.php?quakeId="+id;if(nFelt==true){src+="¬Felt=true";}window.open(src,"","status=0,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,height=400,width=350");} function locationHashChanged(e){-1!=e.oldURL.indexOf("#popupMap")&&closePopup()} window.onhashchange = locationHashChanged; function comment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=(t.dataset.id,document.getElementById("commentForm"));"none"==a.style.display?(t.appendChild(a),a.style.display="block"):a.style.display="none"}function sendComment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=t.parentNode.dataset.id,n=document.getElementById("commentContent"),p=n.value.trim();if(p){var o="id="+a+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId;o+="&comment="+decodeURIComponent(p),mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",o,function(e){e.responseText;alert("Thank you for submitting your comment!"),t.style.display="none",n.value=""})}}function flagReport(e){var t=e.parentNode.dataset.id;if(confirm("Report this as inappropriate?")){var a="id="+t+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&flagAsInappropriate=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",a,function(t){var a=t.responseText;alert(a),e.style.display="none"})}}function likeReport(e){var t="id="+e.parentNode.dataset.id+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&like=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",t,function(t){t.responseText;e.style.opacity=.5})}]]>[smaller] [bigger]Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in PhilippinesNearby placesThe closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Surigao, a town with 88,000 inhabitants in the Philippines, in 72 km (45 mi) distance west of the epicenter. People likely experienced weak shaking there. Many smaller towns and villages are located closer to the epicenter and might have experienced stronger shaking. In the capital of the Philippines, Manila, 787 km (489 mi) away from the epicenter, the earthquake could not be felt.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry13 km (8 mi)N of epicenterUnion(pop: 2,370)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines19 km (12 mi)W of epicenterSocorro(pop: 9,740)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines25 km (16 mi)N of epicenterPilar(pop: 2,390)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines31 km (19 mi)NW of epicenterDel Carmen, Surigao del Norte(pop: 4,280)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines37 km (23 mi)SW of epicenterAdlay(pop: 2,550)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines38 km (24 mi)N of epicenterSan Benito(pop: 2,330)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines38 km (24 mi)SW of epicenterCantilan(pop: 9,410)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines42 km (26 mi)S of epicenterBurgos(pop: 3,510)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines45 km (28 mi)W of epicenterClaver(pop: 5,910)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines48 km (30 mi)S of epicenterCarmen(pop: 2,810)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines59 km (36 mi)W of epicenterPlacer(pop: 10,400)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines60 km (37 mi)NW of epicenterCagdianao(pop: 2,680)III: WeakDinagat Islands, CaragaPhilippines60 km (38 mi)W of epicenterTalisay(pop: 2,200)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines63 km (39 mi)S of epicenterTandag(pop: 29,000)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines65 km (40 mi)W of epicenterKitcharao(pop: 7,210)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Norte, CaragaPhilippines68 km (42 mi)W of epicenterMainit(pop: 5,520)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines72 km (45 mi)W of epicenterSurigao(pop: 87,800)III: WeakCaragaPhilippines74 km (46 mi)S of epicenterLa Paz(pop: 2,310)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines76 km (47 mi)SW of epicenterJabonga(pop: 3,250)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Norte, CaragaPhilippines77 km (48 mi)SW of epicenterJagupit(pop: 2,160)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Norte, CaragaPhilippines78 km (48 mi)S of epicenterSan Miguel(pop: 2,980)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines79 km (49 mi)W of epicenterCantapoy(pop: 2,260)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Norte, CaragaPhilippines86 km (53 mi)S of epicenterAras-asan(pop: 5,100)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines86 km (54 mi)NW of epicenterSan Jose(pop: 26,700)III: WeakDinagat Islands, CaragaPhilippines88 km (54 mi)SW of epicenterCabadbaran(pop: 31,100)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Norte, CaragaPhilippines91 km (56 mi)SW of epicenterLos Angeles(pop: 4,050)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Norte, CaragaPhilippines97 km (61 mi)SW of epicenterTaligaman(pop: 7,430)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Sur, CaragaPhilippines101 km (63 mi)SW of epicenterButuan(pop: 309,700)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Norte, CaragaPhilippines104 km (65 mi)SW of epicenterLibertad(pop: 250,400)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Norte, CaragaPhilippines106 km (66 mi)S of epicenterBayugan(pop: 110,300)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Sur, CaragaPhilippines109 km (68 mi)SW of epicenterBuenavista(pop: 70,700)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Norte, CaragaPhilippines118 km (73 mi)S of epicenterBah-Bah(pop: 28,600)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Sur, CaragaPhilippines121 km (75 mi)S of epicenterProsperidad(pop: 90,200)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Sur, CaragaPhilippines125 km (77 mi)S of epicenterSan Francisco(pop: 79,700)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Sur, CaragaPhilippines132 km (82 mi)S of epicenterTagbina(pop: 41,200)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines137 km (85 mi)S of epicenterTalacogon(pop: 15,600)III: WeakProvince of Agusan del Sur, CaragaPhilippines143 km (89 mi)S of epicenterHinatuan(pop: 44,500)III: WeakProvince of Surigao del Sur, CaragaPhilippines144 km (89 mi)SW of epicenterMariano(pop: 70,500)III: WeakProvince of Misamis Oriental, Northern MindanaoPhilippines145 km (90 mi)SW of epicenterGingoog(pop: 138,900)III: WeakProvince of Misamis Oriental, Northern MindanaoPhilippines787 km (489 mi)NW of epicenterManila(pop: 1,600,000)I: Not feltCapital, National Capital RegionPhilippinesNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quake (4)The first report about ground shaking reached us after only 4 minutes, before other agencies reported it. So far, we have received 4 reports for this quake from the Philippines. Out of these, 3 people indicated they felt it. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 50–70 km (31–43 mi) distance, with isolated cases to have felt the quake even 71 km (44 mi) away.Most reports came from Pilar (1 report), a town with 2,400 inhabitants in Caraga in 25 km (16 mi) distance north of the epicenter, Philippines, and Union (1 report) (13.2 km or 8 mi to the north), a town with 2,400 inhabitants. Further below is a list of places where most people reported this quake.This section is being updated as new data comes in.User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.Contribute:Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.Flag as inappropriate.Mark as helpful or interesting.Send your own user report!TranslateSiargao (14.1 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Building started shaking and lasted long enough to stand up and start looking for a safe place to wait it out. Glad it ended without getting worse. Worried about tsunami being close to ocean beach now. | One user found this interesting. Pilar, Surigao del Norte, Caraga (26.5 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : i’m outside, sitting on a chair, the chair became a swing | One user found this interesting. 70.6 km W of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)Angeles City, Pampanga, Central Luzon (859 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / not felt (reported through our app)List of cities/places with most reportsPlaceDistance from epicenterAverage reported Shaking IntensityNr. of reportsPilar, Caraga, Philippines(Pop.: 2,392)25 km (16 mi)N of epicenterIV: Light shaking1Union, Caraga, Philippines(Pop.: 2,368)13.2 km (8 mi)N of epicenterV: Moderate shaking1Note: Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (4 in total) could be used for statistics.What is Intensity and the Mercalli Intensity Scale?The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.Read more about the MMI scale!Number of reports by intensityShaking intensityNumber of reportsMin-Max distance from epicenter (*)Average distance (*)I: Not felt1858–858 km (533–533 mi)858 km (533 mi)IV: Light shaking227–71 km (16.5–44 mi)49 km (30 mi)V: Moderate shaking114.2–14.2 km (8.8–8.8 mi)14.2 km (9 mi)Notes(*) Reports are filtered to exclude those that are likely highly inaccurate or esaggerated.Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (4 in total) could be used for geographic statistics.Get the Android appI didn't feel itI felt this quakeIf you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.Compare Quake DataData for the same earthquake as reported by different agenciesThe more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.MagDepthTime GMT2026-08-31EpicenterAgency4.984 km52 mi±6.3 km04:04:34.12713 km SSE of Union, PhilippinesEpicenter uncertainty: ± 10.7 kmUSGS (United States Geological Survey)4.9135 km84 mi±12 km04:04:38.95±1.05sMindanao, Philippines32 km (20 mi) epicenter difference with USGSEpicenter uncertainty: ± 4.6 kmGFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)4.9135 km84 mi04:04:38Mindanao, Philippines32 km (20 mi) epicenter difference with USGSRaspberryShake (RaspberryShake)4.963 km39 mi04:04:31Philippine Islands Region59 km (37 mi) epicenter difference with USGSBMKG (Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia)4.984 km52 mi04:04:34.127±1.98sMINDANAO, PHILIPPINES0 km (0 mi) epicenter difference with USGSEpicenter uncertainty: ± 19 kmEMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)Aftershocks for this quakeNo aftershocks have been recorded so far. When aftershocks are detected, we will update this section.What are aftershocks?Larger earthquakes (above magnitude 5 or so) such as this one are usually followed by smaller ones known as aftershocks that occur in the same area during the days, weeks, months or even years after the main shock.[More info]What about this quake?Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake likely ruptured beneath a surface area of approximately 8 km2 (3 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 5 km (3 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Aug 31, 2026 12:04 pm (Manila)29 minutes ago - felt4.984 km0 km - This quake13 km SSE of Union, PhilippinesMain Shock (this quake)MoreMap of aftershocksEarthquake statisticsAverage number of earthquakesBased on data from the past 26 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 1,900 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):Mag. 7 or higher: 0.02 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 62.5 years)Mag. 6 or higher: 0.43 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 2.3 years)Mag. 5 or higher: 8 quakes per yearMag. 4 or higher: 98 quakes per year (or 8.2 quakes per month)Mag. 3 or higher: 367 quakes per year (or 30.6 quakes per month)Mag. 2 or higher: 1,400 quakes per year (or 3.9 quakes per day)Mag. 1 or higher: 1,900 quakes per year (or 5.2 quakes per day)The area where this quake occurred has a very high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 2 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 60 to 65 years.Number of quakes per yearPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquake