Reviewed by USGSPhilippines58y ago
M6.8 earthquake 220 km SE of Pondaguitan, Philippines
Monday, February 3, 1969, 21:41:41 UTC · 4.752°N, 127.356°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 220 km SE of Pondaguitan, Philippines on Monday, February 3, 1969, 21:41:41 UTC, at a depth of 26.7 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on January 30, 1969.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 27 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
231 kilotons of TNT
That is about 15 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 484 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
73 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
27 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on February 13, 1969. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 160 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 · 246 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 185 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 291 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 121 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.790 km NE of Tobelo, IndonesiaSeptember 8, 1966 · 291 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 149 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 10 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 202 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,951 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 238 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 152 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 295 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 216 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1903M7.8
Davao Gulf
28 Dec 1903 · 292 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1936M7.7
Talaud Islands
1 Apr 1936 · 99 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.