A magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Masbate, Bicol, Philippines, was reported only 14 minutes ago by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), considered the main national agency that monitors seismic activity in this part of the world. The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10. km beneath the epicenter early morning on Friday, July 17th, 2026, at 3:52 am local time. 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.A second report was later issued by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, which listed it as a magnitude 4.6 earthquake as well.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. In Uson (pop. 4,400) located 13 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.Weak shaking might have been felt in Masbate (pop. 47,500) located 26 km from the epicenter, Bulan (pop. 28,500) 39 km away, Irosin (pop. 20,700) 46 km away, and Gubat (pop. 61,100) 73 km away.Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Sorsogon (pop. 187,700) located 74 km from the epicenter, Catarman (pop. 97,700) 87 km away, and Legaspi (pop. 179,500) 92 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.Earthquake data: Date & time: Jul 17, 2026 03:52 am (GMT +8) local time (16 Jul 2026 19:52 GMT)Magnitude: 4.6Depth: 10.00 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 12.32°N / 123.86°E (Masbate, Bicol, Philippines)Primary data source: PHIVOLCS