Reviewed by USGSPhilippines110y ago
M6.6 earthquake 114 km SSE of Pondaguitan, Philippines
Friday, November 16, 1917, 22:17:03 UTC · 5.409°N, 126.594°E
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 114 km SSE of Pondaguitan, Philippines on Friday, November 16, 1917, 22:17:03 UTC, at a depth of 65.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on January 31, 1917.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 65 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
128 kilotons of TNT
That is about 9 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 269 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
101 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
65 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:
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 79 km W of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 104 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 216 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5273 km N of Tobelo, IndonesiaOctober 23, 1914 · 207 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.937 km S of Daliao, PhilippinesJanuary 31, 1917 · 187 km W of this epicenter
- 6.837 km E of Lamitan, PhilippinesMarch 6, 1911 · 92 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 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 · 228 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 53 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 188 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 221 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1903M7.8
Davao Gulf
28 Dec 1903 · 189 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1878
Near Mount Apo
16 Sep 1878 · 234 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.