Light magnitude 4.9 earthquake at 10 km depth
20 Jan 01:35 UTC: First to report: BMKG after 7 minutes.
20 Jan 01:40: Magnitude recalculated from 4.8 to 4.9. Epicenter location corrected by 34 km (21 mi) towards N.
Update Wed, 20 Jan 2021, 01:39
Light earthquake of magnitude 4.8 just reported 26 km northwest of Veruela, Philippines
4.8 quake 20 Jan 9:28 am (GMT +8)
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 10 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 was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Binucayan (pop. 2,900) located 13 km from the epicenter, Loreto (pop. 5,700) 15 km away, La Paz (pop. 3,600) 17 km away, and Veruela (pop. 18,100) 26 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Bunawan (pop. 15,500) located 29 km from the epicenter, Talacogon (pop. 15,600) 37 km away, Trento (pop. 15,900) 38 km away, Monkayo (pop. 51,400) 50 km away, and Butuan (pop. 309,700) 93 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.
If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and file a quick report here.
Earthquake data:
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Date & time: 20 Jan 2021 01:28:08 UTC –
Local time at epicenter: Wednesday, 20 Jan 2021 9:28 am (GMT +8)
Magnitude: 4.9
Depth: 10.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 8.43°N / 125.79°E 
(Province of Agusan del Sur, Caraga, Philippines)
Nearest volcano: Musuan (101 km / 63 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
3 km (2 mi) SSE of Talacogon (pop: 15,600) –> See nearby quakes!
18 km (11 mi) N of La Paz (pop: 3,620) –> See nearby quakes!
21 km (13 mi) SW of San Francisco (Agusan del Sur) (pop: 18,500) –> See nearby quakes!
24 km (15 mi) SW of Bah-Bah (Agusan del Sur) (pop: 28,600) –> See nearby quakes!
36 km (23 mi) S of Bayugan (pop: 40,600) –> See nearby quakes!
37 km (23 mi) NW of Bunawan (Agusan del Sur) (pop: 15,500) –> See nearby quakes!
44 km (27 mi) NNW of Veruela (Agusan del Sur) (pop: 18,100) –> See nearby quakes!
64 km (40 mi) SSE of Butuan (pop: 309,700) –> See nearby quakes!
65 km (41 mi) SSE of Libertad (pop: 250,400) –> See nearby quakes!
864 km (537 mi) SE of Manila (National Capital Region) (pop: 1,600,000) –> See nearby quakes!
Overcast Clouds
28.7°C (84 F), humidity: 71%, wind: 2 m/s (3 kts) from SPrimary data source: BMKG (Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia)
Estimated released energy: 1.4 x 1012 joules (392 megawatt hours, equivalent to 338 tons of TNT) More info
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Also if you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it! Your contribution is valuable also to earthquake science and earthquake hazard analysis and mitigation efforts. You can use your device location or the map to indicate where you were during the earthquake. Thank you!
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
| Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
| M 4.9 | 10 km | Mindanao, Philippines | BMKG |
| M 4.7 | 15 km | 010 Km N 58° E of Remedios T. Romualdez (Agusan Del Norte), Philippines | PHIVOLCS |
| M 4.7 | 10 km | MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES | EMSC |
| M 4.7 | 10 km | 2 Km NE of Balangbalang, Philippines | USGS |
User reports for this quake (1)
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Butuan City / Light shaking (MMI IV)
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Earlier earthquakes in the same area
Mag. 4.9 earthquake – 3 km south of Talacogon, Province of Agusan del Sur, Caraga, Philippines, on Wednesday, 20 Jan 2021 9:28 am (GMT +8)
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