5.3

M5.3 Earthquake 97 km SW of Basco, PhilippinesJuly 19, 2025

2025-07-19 01:34:46 UTC (2025-07-19) · approx. 9:34 AM UTC+8 local

Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.3(mww)
Time01:34 UTC9:34 AM UTC+8
Depth29.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates19.824°, 121.314°
Felt by1DYFI response
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On July 19, 2025 at 01:34 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 97 km SW of Basco, Philippines, at a depth of 29.0 km and coordinates 19.8236°, 121.3136°. This earthquake was detected by 91 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 432, placing it among routine seismic activity.

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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 19.82°, 121.31°

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.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.3 earthquake near 97 km SW of Basco, Philippines

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.3 mww
Depth
29.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
19.8236°N
121.3136°E
Felt Reports
1
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
2.0
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000qdky
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
432
Stations Used
91
Azimuthal Gap
104.0°
Min Station Distance
2.987°
RMS Residual
0.94 sec
Last Updated
2025-10-03 18:42:37 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Basco, Philippines?

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 97 km SW of Basco, Philippines on July 19, 2025 at 01:34 UTC had a depth of 29.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 19.8236°, 121.3136°, which is 97 km SW of Basco, 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: us7000qdky). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, July 19, 2025). M5.3 Earthquake 97 km SW of Basco, PhilippinesJuly 19, 2025. Retrieved October 3, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000qdky/