Reviewed by USGSPhilippines109y ago
M6.3 earthquake 55 km WSW of Palimbang, Philippines
Friday, August 16, 1918, 08:35:52 UTC · 6.020°N, 123.726°E
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 55 km WSW of Palimbang, Philippines on Friday, August 16, 1918, 08:35:52 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on August 15, 1918.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- 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
41 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 86 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
393 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 12 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 · 61 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 245 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 295 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2295 km SSE of Tabiauan, PhilippinesMarch 29, 1907 · 274 km S of this epicenter
- 6.937 km S of Daliao, PhilippinesJanuary 31, 1917 · 142 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.94 km ESE of Panikian, PhilippinesFebruary 7, 1918 · 279 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.837 km E of Lamitan, PhilippinesMarch 6, 1911 · 256 km E of this epicenter
- 6.8173 km SW of Palimbang, PhilippinesSeptember 11, 1915 · 127 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 214 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 275 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 61 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1897M8.7
Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela
21 Sep 1897 · 191 km away · intensity IX
13 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 141 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 215 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1902M7.3
Mindanao: Lanao, Cotabato
21 Aug 1902 · 166 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.