Reviewed by USGSPhilippines55y ago
M7.7 earthquake 228 km SW of Sarangani, Philippines
Sunday, June 11, 1972, 16:41:04 UTC · 3.781°N, 124.192°E
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 228 km SW of Sarangani, Philippines on Sunday, June 11, 1972, 16:41:04 UTC, at a depth of 332.8 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on April 1, 1936.
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 333 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5.7 megatons of TNT
That is about 381 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 12,023 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
213 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
333 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 87 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.31918 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeAugust 15, 1918 · 197 km N of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 272 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 248 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 225 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 199 km E of this epicenter
- 7.2182 km WNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1938 · 300 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2295 km SSE of Tabiauan, PhilippinesMarch 29, 1907 · 124 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,121 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 146 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 276 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1845M7.0
N Sulawesi: Menado, Tikala, Tomohon
8 Feb 1845 · 266 km away · intensity IX
118 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 197 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 262 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.7
Talaud Islands
1 Apr 1936 · 268 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.