Reviewed by USGSPhilippines107y ago
M6.9 earthquake 46 km SE of Tarragona, Philippines
Friday, May 7, 1920, 05:40:51 UTC · 6.804°N, 126.791°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 46 km SE of Tarragona, Philippines on Friday, May 7, 1920, 05:40:51 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on January 1, 1919.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
362 kilotons of TNT
That is about 24 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 759 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
50 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
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 25 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 172 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 189 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 252 km S of this epicenter
- 7.222 km ESE of Bobon, PhilippinesJanuary 1, 1919 · 29 km W of this epicenter
- 7.270 km ENE of La Paz, PhilippinesApril 25, 1913 · 274 km N of this epicenter
- 7.110 km W of Bigaan, PhilippinesJuly 20, 1907 · 181 km N of this epicenter
- 6.937 km S of Daliao, PhilippinesJanuary 31, 1917 · 252 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 149 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 177 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 217 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 155 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 259 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1871
W Mindanao: Cotabato,Polloc Harbor
8 Dec 1871 · 293 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1903M7.8
Davao Gulf
28 Dec 1903 · 90 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.