Magnitude6.4

Reviewed by USGSPhilippines98y ago

M6.4 earthquake 64 km E of Aras-asan, Philippines

Sunday, June 30, 1929, 02:44:52 UTC · 8.813°N, 126.896°E

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 64 km E of Aras-asan, Philippines on Sunday, June 30, 1929, 02:44:52 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on June 13, 1929.

Magnitude
6.4
Strong · mw
Depth
30 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

69 kilotons of TNT

That is about 5 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 145 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

14 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

30 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 lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on July 2, 1929. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M5M61h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M6.4
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 5.63 km NNE of Tandag, Philippines98y ago · 82 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 5.675 km ENE of Barcelona, Philippines98y ago · 44 km SE of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 56 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 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1870

    Mindanao: Davao,Blanco

    4 Nov 1870 · 260 km away

    4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  2. 1879

    Nw Mindanao: Surigao

    30 Jun 1879 · 188 km away · intensity X

    Extreme damage ($25M+)

  3. 1924M8.3

    E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga

    14 Apr 1924 · 261 km away · intensity IX

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  4. 1911M7.8

    Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan

    12 Jul 1911 · 101 km away · intensity X

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1871

    Camiguin Island: Mambajao,Catarman

    20 Feb 1871 · 248 km away · intensity IX

    Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1885

    E Mindanao: Surigao

    22 Feb 1885 · 188 km away · intensity VIII

    Severe damage ($5–24M)

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

Nearby trackers

Closest city pages