Reviewed by USGSPhilippines111y ago
M6.9 earthquake 37 km S of Daliao, Philippines
Wednesday, January 31, 1917, 04:00:14 UTC · 5.523°N, 124.908°E
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 37 km S of Daliao, Philippines on Wednesday, January 31, 1917, 04:00:14 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.9 on March 14, 1913.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- 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
374 kilotons of TNT
That is about 25 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 785 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
279 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 10 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 · 109 km E of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 155 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 247 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2295 km SSE of Tabiauan, PhilippinesMarch 29, 1907 · 291 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.837 km E of Lamitan, PhilippinesMarch 6, 1911 · 137 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8173 km SW of Palimbang, PhilippinesSeptember 11, 1915 · 201 km W of this epicenter
- 6.562 km S of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 18, 1910 · 103 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,955 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 216 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 136 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 54 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 173 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1902M7.3
Mindanao: Lanao, Cotabato
21 Aug 1902 · 269 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1871
W Mindanao: Cotabato,Polloc Harbor
8 Dec 1871 · 223 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.