M8.0 earthquake 1972 Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake

Saturday, December 2, 1972, 00:19:51 UTC · 6.430°N, 126.665°E

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck 1972 Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake on Saturday, December 2, 1972, 00:19:51 UTC, at a depth of 51.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on April 14, 1924.

Magnitude: 8.0; Great · mw
Depth: 51 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 0; Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking: VII; Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 400 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

15 megatons of TNT

That is about 1,002 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 31,623 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

65 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

51 km

Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.

Did You Feel It?

Where it was felt

No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.

I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 400 km

USGS lists 18 M2.5+ earthquakes within 400 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on December 2, 1972. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 226 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 246 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 134 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 269 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 190 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 153 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 20 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 295 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers