Reviewed by USGSPhilippines Earthquake103y ago
M8.1 earthquake 1924 Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake
Monday, April 14, 1924, 16:20:37 UTC · 6.625°N, 126.167°E
A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck 1924 Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake on Monday, April 14, 1924, 16:20:37 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.3 on August 15, 1918.
- Magnitude
- 8.1
- Great · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very 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
23 megatons of TNT
That is about 1,516 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 47,863 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
119 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
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 400 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 400 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 36 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 · 269 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 124 km S of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 228 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 218 km S of this epicenter
- 7.462 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesNovember 11, 1921 · 142 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.222 km ESE of Bobon, PhilippinesJanuary 1, 1919 · 45 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.25 km NW of Kadingilan, PhilippinesMarch 2, 1923 · 182 km NW 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 201 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 141 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 269 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 147 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 94 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 39 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 265 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.