Reviewed by USGSPhilippines115y ago
M7.9 earthquake 47 km ESE of Kalbay, Philippines
Friday, March 14, 1913, 08:45:05 UTC · 5.544°N, 125.891°E
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck 47 km ESE of Kalbay, Philippines on Friday, March 14, 1913, 08:45:05 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.9
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
10.0 megatons of TNT
That is about 662 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 20,893 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
176 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
15 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 5 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 98 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5210 km SSE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 17, 1912 · 220 km S of this epicenter
- 6.837 km E of Lamitan, PhilippinesMarch 6, 1911 · 56 km N of this epicenter
- 6.562 km S of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 18, 1910 · 87 km SW 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 2,948 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 213 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 33 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 171 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1871
W Mindanao: Cotabato,Polloc Harbor
8 Dec 1871 · 278 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1903M7.8
Davao Gulf
28 Dec 1903 · 162 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1878
Near Mount Apo
16 Sep 1878 · 174 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.