Earthquake Today Philippines: Live Map and Latest Quakes

Key context

What is normal in the Philippines

Over the 30 years 1996-2025, USGS recorded 1,997 earthquakes of M5 or more in the Philippines: about 67 a year, or 5.5 a month. The past 12 months had 140, about 110% more than the 30-year average. Quakes of M6 or more average 5 a year here (151 in 30 years), and 11 of them happened in the past 12 months.

Busy years usually mean one large quake and its aftershocks: the peak year here was 2023 with 165. Counts cover the Philippine islands and the trenches on both sides of them. They come from the USGS ComCat catalog, which records small quakes more completely in the US than elsewhere, so compare like with like.

Largest earthquakes recorded in the Philippines

Plates and faults

The Philippines sit in a squeeze between the Philippine Sea Plate to the east and the Eurasian (Sunda) Plate to the west. The Philippine Sea Plate dives west along the Philippine Trench, and the floor of the South China Sea dives east along the Manila Trench, so the islands have subduction zones on both sides.

Between them, the Philippine Fault runs about 1,200 km from Luzon to Mindanao, taking up the sideways part of the motion. It caused the M7.7 Luzon quake of 1990. Mindanao and the waters off its east coast are among the most active areas in the country.

• Philippine Trench (east of Samar and Mindanao)
• Manila Trench (west of Luzon)
• Philippine Fault Zone (Luzon to Mindanao)
• Valley Fault System (Metro Manila)
• Cotabato Trench and the faults of central Mindanao

Where the recent quakes were

Of the 39 quakes of the past 30 days, 29 were shallow (less than 70 km deep), 8 intermediate (70-300 km) and 2 deep (more than 300 km). 39 reached M4 or more. The places USGS named most often were Barcelona, Philippines (4), Pondaguitan, Philippines (4), Sarangani, Philippines (3).

Official sources and warnings

• PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology): the official source for quake information, intensity reports and tsunami warnings in the Philippines.
• NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council): national disaster response and emergency alerts.

What to do in an earthquake

If you feel shaking: Drop, Cover and Hold On until it stops. Stay away from windows and heavy furniture, and do not run outside during the shaking. On a coast, strong or long shaking is a natural tsunami warning: move to high ground or inland at once, on foot if you can. Then follow your local officials; this page is not a warning service.

In the Philippines, Duck, Cover and Hold, and follow PHIVOLCS and local government instructions. On the coast, move to high ground at once after strong or long shaking, even before an official warning.