Reviewed by USGSPhilippines103y ago
M6.5 earthquake 149 km E of Union, Philippines
Sunday, September 14, 1924, 14:08:08 UTC · 9.900°N, 127.467°E
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 149 km E of Union, Philippines on Sunday, September 14, 1924, 14:08:08 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on August 30, 1924.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
88 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 184 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
82 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 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 21 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 164 km S of this epicenter
- 7.462 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesNovember 11, 1921 · 274 km S of this epicenter
- 7.270 km E of Aras-asan, PhilippinesAugust 30, 1924 · 117 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.270 km ENE of La Paz, PhilippinesApril 25, 1913 · 98 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.110 km W of Bigaan, PhilippinesJuly 20, 1907 · 225 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.819 km ENE of Aras-asan, PhilippinesJuly 1, 1918 · 152 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.616 km E of Cagdianao, PhilippinesApril 24, 1913 · 181 km W of this epicenter
- 6.69 km ENE of Hinatuan, PhilippinesMarch 16, 1919 · 204 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1879
Nw Mindanao: Surigao
30 Jun 1879 · 216 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
- 1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 189 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1885
E Mindanao: Surigao
22 Feb 1885 · 216 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1897M8.1
Northern Samar
18 Oct 1897 · 283 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1924M7.3
Mindanao: Surigao,Butuan
30 Aug 1924 · 188 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1909
Mindanao: E
18 Mar 1909 · 217 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.