Reviewed by USGSPhilippines110y ago
M6.9 earthquake 4 km ESE of Panikian, Philippines
Thursday, February 7, 1918, 05:20:20 UTC · 6.992°N, 126.059°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 4 km ESE of Panikian, Philippines on Thursday, February 7, 1918, 05:20:20 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on January 31, 1917.
- 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
338 kilotons of TNT
That is about 22 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 708 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
130 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 19 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 · 162 km S of this epicenter
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 198 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 258 km S of this epicenter
- 7.270 km ENE of La Paz, PhilippinesApril 25, 1913 · 267 km N of this epicenter
- 7.110 km W of Bigaan, PhilippinesJuly 20, 1907 · 148 km N of this epicenter
- 6.937 km S of Daliao, PhilippinesJanuary 31, 1917 · 207 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.837 km E of Lamitan, PhilippinesMarch 6, 1911 · 108 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 201 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 182 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 280 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 161 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 73 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 223 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1902M7.3
Mindanao: Lanao, Cotabato
21 Aug 1902 · 288 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.