Reviewed by USGSPhilippines84y ago
M7.8 earthquake 77 km E of Baculin, Philippines
Tuesday, May 25, 1943, 23:07:39 UTC · 7.371°N, 127.277°E
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 77 km E of Baculin, Philippines on Tuesday, May 25, 1943, 23:07:39 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on April 14, 1924.
- Magnitude
- 7.8
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
6.6 megatons of TNT
That is about 437 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 13,804 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
5 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 113 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 · 148 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 254 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 127 km N of this epicenter
- 7.462 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesNovember 11, 1921 · 17 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.222 km ESE of Bobon, PhilippinesJanuary 1, 1919 · 104 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.25 km ESE of Veruela, PhilippinesJune 13, 1929 · 160 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.270 km ENE of La Paz, PhilippinesApril 25, 1913 · 216 km N of this epicenter
- 7.270 km E of Aras-asan, PhilippinesAugust 30, 1924 · 183 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 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 · 258 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 294 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 211 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 129 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 229 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1903M7.8
Davao Gulf
28 Dec 1903 · 147 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.