QuakeScout
Magnitude6.8

Reviewed by USGSPhilippines83y ago

M6.8 earthquake 227 km ESE of Sarangani, Philippines

Wednesday, November 15, 1944, 20:47:08 UTC · 4.544°N, 127.324°E

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 227 km ESE of Sarangani, Philippines on Wednesday, November 15, 1944, 20:47:08 UTC, at a depth of 60.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on October 10, 1938.

Magnitude
6.8
Strong · mw
Depth
60 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

256 kilotons of TNT

That is about 17 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 537 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

89 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

60 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 82 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 264 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 194 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 7.8161 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesApril 1, 1936 · 109 km W of this epicenter
  4. 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 146 km W of this epicenter
  5. 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 185 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 86 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 7.2182 km WNW of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 10, 1938 · 255 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.222 km ESE of Bobon, PhilippinesJanuary 1, 1919 · 267 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,944 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1856

    Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)

    2 Mar 1856 · 224 km away

    2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1913M7.8

    Sangihe Island

    14 Mar 1913 · 161 km away · intensity IX

    138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  3. 1924M8.3

    E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga

    14 Apr 1924 · 236 km away · intensity IX

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  4. 1936M7.7

    Talaud Islands

    1 Apr 1936 · 91 km away · intensity IX

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 1894

    Se Mindanao: Davao Gulf

    9 Feb 1894 · 218 km away · intensity VIII

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)

  6. 1910M6.7

    Sulawesi-N. Moluccas Islands

    18 Dec 1910 · 70 km away · intensity VIII

    Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami

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

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