M4.9 Earthquake near Mindanao, Philippines — January 29, 2023
2023-01-29 04:23:33 UTC (2023-01-29) · approx. 12:23 PM UTC+8 local
Felt by 4 people across nearby locations. Aftershock of the M5.1 mainshock.
On January 29, 2023 at 04:23 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Mindanao, Philippines, at a depth of 49.1 km and coordinates 5.5924°, 125.0567°. This earthquake was detected by 44 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 371, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
This earthquake is part of an ongoing aftershock sequence following the magnitude 5.1 mainshock that occurred 18 days ago 3 km SSE of Pangyan, Philippines. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 2 aftershocks in this area. Aftershock activity is expected to continue for days to weeks as stresses on surrounding faults redistribute.
The epicenter is located in Philippines, a region characterized by the Manila Trench and Philippine Trench subduction systems, where the Philippine Sea Plate overrides the Eurasian Plate. The nearest mapped fault system is the Philippine Fault. View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 4 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
125.0567°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Mindanao, Philippines?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck near Mindanao, Philippines on January 29, 2023 at 04:23 UTC had a depth of 49.1 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 5.5924°, 125.0567°, which is near Mindanao, Philippines. View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Is this the same earthquake as the M5.1 one earlier?
No. This magnitude 4.9 earthquake is an aftershock of the larger magnitude 5.1 mainshock that occurred earlier 3 km SSE of Pangyan, Philippines. Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes triggered by stress changes from the mainshock.
Has Philippines had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Philippines was the M8.0 Mindanao earthquake of August 17, 1976. Today's magnitude 4.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000jk3r). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, January 29, 2023). M4.9 Earthquake near Mindanao, Philippines — January 29, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000jk3r/