Reviewed by USGSPhilippines109y ago
M6.1 earthquake 225 km SSW of Malisbeng, Philippines
Sunday, August 18, 1918, 06:04:58 UTC · 4.367°N, 123.321°E
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 225 km SSW of Malisbeng, Philippines on Sunday, August 18, 1918, 06:04:58 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on August 16, 1918.
- Magnitude
- 6.1
- Strong · 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
23 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 48 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
239 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: 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 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 10 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.31918 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeAugust 15, 1918 · 150 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.2295 km SSE of Tabiauan, PhilippinesMarch 29, 1907 · 85 km S of this epicenter
- 6.937 km S of Daliao, PhilippinesJanuary 31, 1917 · 218 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8173 km SW of Palimbang, PhilippinesSeptember 11, 1915 · 76 km N of this epicenter
- 6.737 km ESE of Sarangani, PhilippinesAugust 15, 1918 · 286 km E of this epicenter
- 6.562 km S of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 18, 1910 · 251 km E of this epicenter
- 6.594 km SSW of Tambilil, PhilippinesAugust 15, 1918 · 140 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,878 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1856
Sangihe Pulau (Volcanic)
2 Mar 1856 · 254 km away
2,806 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 150 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1897M8.7
Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela
21 Sep 1897 · 233 km away · intensity IX
13 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1917M6.4
S Mindanao: Glan,Glan Padidu,Tuyan
31 Jan 1917 · 260 km away · intensity IX
7 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1897M8.6
Nw Mindanao: Dapitan
20 Sep 1897 · 233 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1908M7.5
Celebes Sea
5 May 1908 · 156 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.