QuakeScout
Magnitude5.7

Reviewed by USGSPhilippines58y ago

M5.7 earthquake 293 km SE of Pondaguitan, Philippines

Sunday, March 30, 1969, 07:55:06 UTC · 4.421°N, 127.989°E

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 293 km SE of Pondaguitan, Philippines on Sunday, March 30, 1969, 07:55:06 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on March 27, 1969.

Magnitude
5.7
Moderate · mw
Depth
15 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

6 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 12 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

34 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

15 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 146 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 264 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 179 km W of this epicenter
  3. 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 233 km S of this epicenter
  4. 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 220 km W of this epicenter
  5. 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 77 km W of this epicenter
  6. 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 243 km SW of this epicenter
  7. 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 24 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.3146 km SE of Pondaguitan, PhilippinesSeptember 24, 1957 · 148 km NW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,944 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1856

    Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)

    2 Mar 1856 · 288 km away

    2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1913M7.8

    Sangihe Island

    14 Mar 1913 · 232 km away · intensity IX

    138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1924M8.3

    E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga

    14 Apr 1924 · 284 km away · intensity IX

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  4. 1936M7.7

    Talaud Islands

    1 Apr 1936 · 165 km away · intensity IX

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 1894

    Se Mindanao: Davao Gulf

    9 Feb 1894 · 282 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  6. 1910M6.7

    Sulawesi-N. Moluccas Islands

    18 Dec 1910 · 119 km away · intensity VIII

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

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

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