Reviewed by USGSPhilippines70y ago
M6.1 earthquake 141 km ESE of Pondaguitan, Philippines
Wednesday, September 25, 1957, 16:36:39 UTC · 5.771°N, 127.312°E
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 141 km ESE of Pondaguitan, Philippines on Wednesday, September 25, 1957, 16:36:39 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on September 24, 1957.
- Magnitude
- 6.1
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
19 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 40 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
18 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
25 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 M5.8 on September 26, 1957. 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 118 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 · 158 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 159 km W of this epicenter
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 178 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 197 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 189 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 286 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 191 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.462 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesNovember 11, 1921 · 188 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 149 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 140 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 257 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 252 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 121 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1903M7.8
Davao Gulf
28 Dec 1903 · 199 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1936M7.7
Talaud Islands
1 Apr 1936 · 168 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.