Reviewed by USGSPhilippines75y ago
M7.3 earthquake 108 km ENE of Cortes, Philippines
Wednesday, March 19, 1952, 10:57:15 UTC · 9.669°N, 127.099°E
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 108 km ENE of Cortes, Philippines on Wednesday, March 19, 1952, 10:57:15 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on May 25, 1943.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.5 megatons of TNT
That is about 102 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3,236 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
36 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 106 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.877 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesMay 25, 1943 · 256 km S of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 132 km S of this epicenter
- 7.462 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesNovember 11, 1921 · 247 km S of this epicenter
- 7.25 km ESE of Veruela, PhilippinesJune 13, 1929 · 216 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.270 km ENE of La Paz, PhilippinesApril 25, 1913 · 53 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.270 km E of Aras-asan, PhilippinesAugust 30, 1924 · 78 km S of this epicenter
- 7.212 km E of Kinablangan, PhilippinesApril 15, 1934 · 225 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 20 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1879
Nw Mindanao: Surigao
30 Jun 1879 · 176 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
- 1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 142 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1871
Camiguin Island: Mambajao,Catarman
20 Feb 1871 · 271 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1885
E Mindanao: Surigao
22 Feb 1885 · 176 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1897M8.1
Northern Samar
18 Oct 1897 · 286 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1924M7.3
Mindanao: Surigao,Butuan
30 Aug 1924 · 146 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.