Reviewed by USGSPhilippines50y ago
M5.0 earthquake 29 km SSW of Palimbang, Philippines
Monday, October 18, 1976, 01:43:21 UTC · 5.970°N, 124.066°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 29 km SSW of Palimbang, Philippines on Monday, October 18, 1976, 01:43:21 UTC, at a depth of 57.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on October 9, 1976.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 57 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
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
356 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
57 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 231 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 · 49 km S of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 243 km E of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 292 km E of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 33 km N of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 207 km E of this epicenter
- 7.7228 km SW of Sarangani, PhilippinesJune 11, 1972 · 244 km S of this epicenter
- 7.6101 km SE of Sarangani, PhilippinesDecember 16, 1910 · 260 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.410 km ESE of Basak, PhilippinesDecember 19, 1928 · 84 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 25 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,776 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 36 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1955M7.4
Mindanao: Lanao,Ozamiz,Cotabato
31 Mar 1955 · 213 km away · intensity VIII
465 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 237 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 84 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 49 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1897M8.7
Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela
21 Sep 1897 · 229 km away · intensity IX
13 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.