Reviewed by USGSPhilippines105y ago
M7.2 earthquake 5 km NW of Kadingilan, Philippines
Friday, March 2, 1923, 16:48:34 UTC · 7.641°N, 124.873°E
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 5 km NW of Kadingilan, Philippines on Friday, March 2, 1923, 16:48:34 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.4 on November 11, 1921.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · 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
888 kilotons of TNT
That is about 59 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,862 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
260 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 34 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 · 253 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 259 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 255 km E of this epicenter
- 7.462 km E of Baculin, PhilippinesNovember 11, 1921 · 252 km E of this epicenter
- 7.222 km ESE of Bobon, PhilippinesJanuary 1, 1919 · 205 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.270 km ENE of La Paz, PhilippinesApril 25, 1913 · 282 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.110 km W of Bigaan, PhilippinesJuly 20, 1907 · 163 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 28 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 206 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 289 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 253 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 183 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1922M6.3
Cebu Island, Mactan Island
27 Feb 1922 · 297 km away · intensity V
5 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 92 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1879
Nw Mindanao: Surigao
30 Jun 1879 · 250 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.