M7.6 earthquake 223 km ESE of Sarangani, Philippines

Thursday, January 30, 1969, 10:29:41 UTC · 4.662°N, 127.340°E

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 223 km ESE of Sarangani, Philippines on Thursday, January 30, 1969, 10:29:41 UTC, at a depth of 60.8 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on September 8, 1966.

Magnitude: 7.6; Major · mw
Depth: 61 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 0; Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking: VII; Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

3.8 megatons of TNT

That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

81 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

61 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 200 km

USGS lists 16 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.8 on February 3, 1969. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 152 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

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 2,951 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 232 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 155 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 299 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 225 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1903M7.8
Davao Gulf
28 Dec 1903 · 299 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
1936M7.7
Talaud Islands
1 Apr 1936 · 95 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

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

Nearby trackers