Reviewed by USGSPhilippines120y ago
M7.1 earthquake 5 km N of Capoocan, Philippines
Thursday, March 5, 1908, 02:17:38 UTC · 11.343°N, 124.647°E
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 5 km N of Capoocan, Philippines on Thursday, March 5, 1908, 02:17:38 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
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
697 kilotons of TNT
That is about 46 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,462 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
172 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 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.8123 km NE of Cabatuan, PhilippinesDecember 10, 1905 · 268 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.55 km SSW of Mantalongon, PhilippinesOctober 11, 1906 · 184 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.475 km ENE of Sulangan, PhilippinesMay 20, 1907 · 204 km E of this epicenter
- 6.125 km SSE of Alburquerque, PhilippinesJuly 16, 1905 · 228 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 52 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1840M6.5
Sorsogon,Masbate Is,Casiguran,Albay
22 Mar 1840 · 191 km away · intensity IX
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1879
Nw Mindanao: Surigao
30 Jun 1879 · 195 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
- 1897M7.9
Masbate Island
13 May 1897 · 101 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1869M7.0
Masbate Island
16 Aug 1869 · 179 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1743
Leyte
Sep 1743 · 41 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1787
Panay: Iloilo,Antique,Buenavista
12 Jul 1787 · 245 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.