Reviewed by USGSPhilippines98y ago
M5.7 earthquake 80 km ENE of Barcelona, Philippines
Thursday, June 20, 1929, 20:10:32 UTC · 8.384°N, 127.130°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 80 km ENE of Barcelona, Philippines on Thursday, June 20, 1929, 20:10:32 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on June 19, 1929.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 10 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
2 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
35 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 3 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.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 57 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 · 223 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 16 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.462 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesNovember 11, 1921 · 104 km S of this epicenter
- 7.222 km ESE of Bobon, PhilippinesJanuary 1, 1919 · 187 km S of this epicenter
- 7.25 km ESE of Veruela, PhilippinesJune 13, 1929 · 130 km W of this epicenter
- 7.270 km ENE of La Paz, PhilippinesApril 25, 1913 · 103 km N of this epicenter
- 7.270 km E of Aras-asan, PhilippinesAugust 30, 1924 · 70 km N of this epicenter
- 7.25 km NW of Kadingilan, PhilippinesMarch 2, 1923 · 262 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 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 · 245 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1879
Nw Mindanao: Surigao
30 Jun 1879 · 238 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
- 1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 221 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 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 · 285 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1885
E Mindanao: Surigao
22 Feb 1885 · 238 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.