Reviewed by USGSPhilippines101y ago
M6.5 earthquake 34 km S of Daliao, Philippines
Thursday, May 20, 1926, 07:02:18 UTC · 5.548°N, 124.928°E
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 34 km S of Daliao, Philippines on Thursday, May 20, 1926, 07:02:18 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on April 14, 1924.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
101 kilotons of TNT
That is about 7 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 211 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
276 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 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 35 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.31918 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeAugust 15, 1918 · 103 km W of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 182 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 107 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 155 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 249 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.222 km ESE of Bobon, PhilippinesJanuary 1, 1919 · 225 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2295 km SSE of Tabiauan, PhilippinesMarch 29, 1907 · 294 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.25 km NW of Kadingilan, PhilippinesMarch 2, 1923 · 233 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3,007 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 218 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 134 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 103 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 51 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 170 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 204 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.