M5.3 Earthquake 83 km E of Cortes, Philippines — September 20, 2020
2020-09-20 22:21:49 UTC (2020-09-20) · approx. 6:21 AM UTC+8 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On September 20, 2020 at 22:21 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 83 km E of Cortes, Philippines, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 9.4079°, 126.9433°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
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 1 citizen response 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
126.9433°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Cortes, Philippines?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 83 km E of Cortes, Philippines on September 20, 2020 at 22:21 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 9.4079°, 126.9433°, which is 83 km E of Cortes, Philippines. View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
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 5.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000bql5). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, September 20, 2020). M5.3 Earthquake 83 km E of Cortes, Philippines — September 20, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000bql5/