Reviewed by USGSPhilippines115y ago
M6.2 earthquake 10 km NE of Cortes, Philippines
Saturday, April 26, 1913, 04:06:12 UTC · 9.337°N, 126.265°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 10 km NE of Cortes, Philippines on Saturday, April 26, 1913, 04:06:12 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on April 25, 1913.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
33 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 70 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
62 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.2 on April 29, 1913. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
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:
- 7.774 km ENE of Barcelona, PhilippinesJuly 12, 1911 · 126 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.270 km ENE of La Paz, PhilippinesApril 25, 1913 · 64 km E of this epicenter
- 7.15 km N of Capoocan, PhilippinesMarch 5, 1908 · 285 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.110 km W of Bigaan, PhilippinesJuly 20, 1907 · 114 km S of this epicenter
- 6.616 km E of Cagdianao, PhilippinesApril 24, 1913 · 79 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.640 km ENE of Cortes, PhilippinesApril 18, 1913 · 31 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.642 km E of Aras-asan, PhilippinesOctober 10, 1906 · 74 km SE 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 4 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 277 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1879
Nw Mindanao: Surigao
30 Jun 1879 · 98 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
- 1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 47 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1743
Leyte
Sep 1743 · 299 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1871
Camiguin Island: Mambajao,Catarman
20 Feb 1871 · 175 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1885
E Mindanao: Surigao
22 Feb 1885 · 98 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.