Thirty five confirmed deaths following Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake off the southern coast of Mindanao Island, Philippines.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake at a depth of 33 km off the south coast of Mindanao Island, Philippines, slightly after 7.35 am on Monday 8 June 2026 local time (slightly after 11.35 pm on Sunday 7 June GMT). 

The location of the 8 June 2026 Mindanao Earthquake. USGS.

Thirty five people have been confirmed dead following this event, with another 134 injured, and a large number of buildings damaged or destroyed, with about 10 000 families displaced as a result of this Earthquake. People reported feeling tremors as far away as Manilla and northern Borneo. Countries around the Pacific Rim issued tsunami warnings after the event, although the largest wave recorded was about 1.4 m. Mindanao has subsequently been hit by a number of large aftershocks. 

A collapsed building in the city of General Santos on Mindanao Island, the Philippines. Department of Social Welfare and Development/Wikimedia Commons.

The geology of the central Philippines is Complex. The west of Mindanao Island is located on the Banda (or Sunda) Microplate, and the east on the Philippine Plate, which is being subducted beneath the Sunda (or Banda) Microplate along the central part of the island. Immediately to the east of the Island the Pacific Plate is being subducted along the Philippine Trench, and passes beneath eastern Mindanao as it sinks into the Earth. This is not a smooth process, an the plates constantly stick together then break apart again as the pressure builds up, resulting in Earthquakes.

Subduction beneath the Philippines. Yves Descatoire/Singapore Earth Observatory.

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Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake off the coast of Mindanao Island, Philippines.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake at a depth of 23 km about 48 km to the northeast of  the town of Manay in Davao Oriental Province on Mindanao Island, Philippines, slightly before 9.45 am local time (slightly before 1.45 am GMT) on Friday 10 October 2025. At least seven people have been reported dead following the Earthquake, including a woman struck by falling debris and two patients who suffered heart attacks in hospitals. A large number of buildings have been damaged, including a hospital, and several hundred people are reported to have been injured. The event  was felt across the southeastern Philippines, and triggered a tsunami warning in parts of the Philippines and Japan, although in the event no major wave damage occurred. The initial event has been followed by a series of large aftershocks, some of which have had magnitudes in excess of 6.0.

The location of the 2 December 2023 Mindanao Earthquake. USGS.

The geology of the central Philippines is Complex. The west of Mindanao Island is located on the Banda (or Sunda) Microplate, and the east on the Philippine Plate, which is being subducted beneath the Sunda (or Banda) Microplate along the central part of the island. Immediately to the east of the Island the Pacific Plate is being subducted along the Philippine Trench, and passes beneath eastern Mindanao as it sinks into the Earth. This is not a smooth process, an the plates constantly stick together then break apart again as the pressure builds up, resulting in Earthquakes.

Subduction beneath the Philippines. Yves Descatoire/Singapore Earth Observatory.

See also...

Magnitude 6.9 Earthquake to the east of Cebu Island, the Philippines.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a Magnitude 6.9 Earthquake at a depth of 5 km, off the east coast of the northern part of Cebu Island, Philippines, slightly before 10.00 pm local time (slightly before 2.00 pm GMT) on Tuesday 30 September 2025. The event  was felt across the central Philippines, but no tsunami warning was issued, and no damage or casualties have been reported at the time of writing, although it is possible that unreported damage or injuries have occurred in remote locations. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is warning of a high possibility of significant aftershocks. 

The approximate location of the 30 September 2025 Cebu Earthquake. USGS.

The geology of the central Philippines is Complex. The west of Mindanao Island is located on the Banda (or Sunda) Microplate, and the east on the Philippine Plate, which is being subducted beneath the Sunda (or Banda) Microplate along the central part of the island. Immediately to the east of the Island the Pacific Plate is being subducted along the Philippine Trench, and passes beneath eastern Mindanao as it sinks into the Earth. This is not a smooth process, an the plates constantly stick together then break apart again as the pressure builds up, resulting in Earthquakes.

Subduction beneath the Philippines. Yves Descatoire/Singapore Earth Observatory.

See also...

Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake off Mindanao Island, the Philippines.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake at a depth of 26 km about 29 km to the east of  the town of Hinatuan in Surigao del Sur Province on Mindanao Island, Philippines, slightly after 10.35 pm local time (slightly after 2.35 pm GMT) on Sunday 2 December 2023. Three people have been reported dead following the Earthquake, with another eight injured. The event  was felt across the southeastern Philippines, and triggered a tsunami warning in parts of the Philippines and Japan, although in the event no major wave damage occurred. The initial event has been followed by a series of large aftershocks, some of which have had magnitudes in excess of 6.0.

The location of the 2 December 2023 Mindanao Earthquake. USGS.

The geology of the central Philippines is Complex. The west of Mindanao Island is located on the Banda (or Sunda) Microplate, and the east on the Philippine Plate, which is being subducted beneath the Sunda (or Banda) Microplate along the central part of the island. Immediately to the east of the Island the Pacific Plate is being subducted along the Philippine Trench, and passes beneath eastern Mindanao as it sinks into the Earth. This is not a smooth process, an the plates constantly stick together then break apart again as the pressure builds up, resulting in Earthquakes.

Subduction beneath the Philippines. Yves Descatoire/Singapore Earth Observatory.

See also...

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Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake beneath Mindanao Island, the Philippines.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake at a depth of 15 km about 5 km to the southwest of  the town of Magsaysay in Davao Del Sur Province on Mindanao Island, Philippines, slightly after 12.20 pm local time slightly after 4.20 am GMT on Sunday 7 February 2021. There are noinitial  reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but it was widely felt across central Mindanao.

 

The location of the 7 February 2021 Mindanao Earthquake. USGS.

The geology of the central Philippines is Complex. The west of Mindanao Island is located on the Banda (or Sunda) Microplate, and the east on the Philippine Plate, which is being subducted beneath the Sunda (or Banda) Microplate along the central part of the island. Immediately to the east of the Island the Pacific Plate is being subducted along the Philippine Trench, and passes beneath eastern Mindanao as it sinks into the Earth. This is not a smooth process, an the plates constantly stick together then break apart again as the pressure builds up, resulting in Earthquakes.

 

Subduction beneath the Philippines. Yves Descatoire/Singapore Earth Observatory.

See also...

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