Moderate magnitude 4.8 earthquake 81 km north of Sanchez-Mira, Philippines

An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 occurred after midnight on Thursday, August 20th, 2026, at 12:22 am local time near Sanchez-Mira, Cagayan, Cagayan Valley, Philippines, as reported by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 23. km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Namuac (pop. 3,000) located 75 km from the epicenter, Claveria (pop. 10,600) 75 km away, Santa Praxedes (pop. 4,600) 80 km away, Sanchez-Mira (pop. 26,300) 81 km away, and Aparri (pop. 68,400) 116 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

Earthquake data:
Date & time: Aug 20, 2026 12:22 am (Manila time) local time (19 Aug 2026 16:22 GMT)
Magnitude: 4.8
Depth: 23.00 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 19.28°N / 121.12°E (Province of Cagayan, Cagayan Valley, Philippines)
Primary data source: PHIVOLCS
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