M5.3 earthquake 161 km SW of Palimbang, Philippines
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 161 km SW of Palimbang, Philippines on Thu, Oct 8, 1981, 1:48 AM GMT+8 (17:48 UTC), 595 km (370 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 179 km SSE of Tabiauan, Philippines. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-10-07 17:48:45 UTC
- Depth
- 595.2 km (369.8 mi), deep
- Epicenter
- 5.210° N, 123.128° E
- Region
- Philippines
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayPhilippines earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001gb6. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:52 PM UTC.