Reviewed by USGSPhilippines112y ago
M6.8 earthquake 173 km SW of Palimbang, Philippines
Saturday, September 11, 1915, 23:59:18 UTC · 5.028°N, 123.158°E
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 173 km SW of Palimbang, Philippines on Saturday, September 11, 1915, 23:59:18 UTC, at a depth of 550.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on March 29, 1907.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mB
- Depth
- 550 km
- Deep
- 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
201 kilotons of TNT
That is about 13 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 422 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
302 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Molucca Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
550 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 3 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,819 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 300 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1897M8.7
Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela
21 Sep 1897 · 168 km away · intensity IX
13 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1902M7.3
Mindanao: Lanao, Cotabato
21 Aug 1902 · 277 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1871
W Mindanao: Cotabato,Polloc Harbor
8 Dec 1871 · 288 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1874
Mindanao,Zamboanga,Isabela (Basilan)
24 Aug 1874 · 235 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1878
Near Mount Apo
16 Sep 1878 · 299 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.