M5.6 earthquake 97 km E of Aras-asan, Philippines

Saturday, June 15, 1929, 21:07:49 UTC · 8.841°N, 127.192°E

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 97 km E of Aras-asan, Philippines on Saturday, June 15, 1929, 21:07:49 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.9 on June 15, 1929.

Magnitude: 5.6; Moderate · mw
Depth: 15 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: 75 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

4 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 9 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

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 75 km

USGS lists 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.4 on June 30, 1929. 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 48 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 20 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 284 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
1879
Nw Mindanao: Surigao
30 Jun 1879 · 214 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 271 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 132 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1871
Camiguin Island: Mambajao,Catarman
20 Feb 1871 · 280 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1885
E Mindanao: Surigao
22 Feb 1885 · 214 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)

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

Nearby trackers