Reviewed by USGSPhilippines54y ago
M5.4 earthquake 28 km E of Santiago, Philippines
Saturday, December 9, 1972, 12:55:49 UTC · 7.303°N, 126.830°E
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 28 km E of Santiago, Philippines on Saturday, December 9, 1972, 12:55:49 UTC, at a depth of 60.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on December 8, 1972.
- Magnitude
- 5.4
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 60 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
44 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
60 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 241 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 105 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 99 km S of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 221 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 50 km E of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 134 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 299 km S of this epicenter
- 7.462 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesNovember 11, 1921 · 39 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.410 km ESE of Basak, PhilippinesDecember 19, 1928 · 293 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 30 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 · 230 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 293 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 249 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 161 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 96 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 210 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.