Reviewed by USGSPhilippines109y ago
M6.7 earthquake 45 km SW of Saysain, Philippines
Friday, March 21, 1919, 01:02:43 UTC · 14.323°N, 120.049°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 45 km SW of Saysain, Philippines on Friday, March 21, 1919, 01:02:43 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on July 9, 1907.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
158 kilotons of TNT
That is about 10 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 331 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
209 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
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 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 36 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,775 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1911
Luzon: Taal Volcano
27 Jan 1911 · 108 km away · intensity IX
1,335 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1863M6.5
Manila, Rizal, Bulacan
3 Jun 1863 · 104 km away · intensity X
400 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1880M7.5
S Coast Luzon: Pasig River,Pampanga
18 Jul 1880 · 269 km away · intensity IX
20 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1754
Taal Volcano
15 May 1754 · 108 km away · intensity X
12 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1743
Luzon: Tayabas,Laguna
12 Jan 1743 · 171 km away · intensity X
5 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1852M7.5
Luzon: Bataan, Rizal, Pampanga,Manila
16 Sep 1852 · 60 km away · intensity IX
3 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.