Reviewed by USGSPhilippines105y ago
M6.8 earthquake 15 km WNW of Santa Fe, Philippines
Tuesday, August 29, 1922, 17:01:07 UTC · 12.201°N, 121.855°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 15 km WNW of Santa Fe, Philippines on Tuesday, August 29, 1922, 17:01:07 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on March 12, 1915.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · 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
215 kilotons of TNT
That is about 14 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 452 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
200 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Caribbean and South American 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 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 10 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.57 km N of Luklukan, PhilippinesApril 18, 1907 · 261 km N of this epicenter
- 6.829 km NNW of Roxas City, PhilippinesMarch 12, 1915 · 100 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.6Luzon, PhilippinesNovember 24, 1907 · 149 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.646 km NNE of Coron, PhilippinesApril 27, 1919 · 156 km W of this epicenter
- 6.26 km S of Bangad, PhilippinesApril 23, 1922 · 167 km E of this epicenter
- 6.23 km WSW of Irosin, PhilippinesNovember 8, 1912 · 239 km E of this epicenter
- 6.024 km WSW of Mabiton, PhilippinesMay 28, 1917 · 144 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 51 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,809 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1911
Luzon: Taal Volcano
27 Jan 1911 · 221 km away · intensity IX
1,335 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1863M6.5
Manila, Rizal, Bulacan
3 Jun 1863 · 272 km away · intensity X
400 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1840M6.5
Sorsogon,Masbate Is,Casiguran,Albay
22 Mar 1840 · 235 km away · intensity IX
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1754
Taal Volcano
15 May 1754 · 221 km away · intensity X
12 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1743
Luzon: Tayabas,Laguna
12 Jan 1743 · 202 km away · intensity X
5 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1852M7.5
Luzon: Bataan, Rizal, Pampanga,Manila
16 Sep 1852 · 248 km away · intensity IX
3 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.