Reviewed by USGSPhilippines58y ago
M5.7 earthquake 117 km E of Sarangani, Philippines
Tuesday, February 25, 1969, 01:35:04 UTC · 5.255°N, 126.512°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 117 km E of Sarangani, Philippines on Tuesday, February 25, 1969, 01:35:04 UTC, at a depth of 65.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on February 20, 1969.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 65 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
112 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
65 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 176 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 · 281 km W of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 157 km N of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 76 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 250 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 111 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 85 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6223 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesJanuary 30, 1969 · 113 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 197 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,104 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 209 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 45 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 298 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 281 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 187 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 230 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.