Reviewed by USGSPhilippines50y ago
M5.2 earthquake 4 km WSW of Taguisa, Philippines
Monday, October 18, 1976, 02:50:53 UTC · 6.681°N, 124.002°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 4 km WSW of Taguisa, Philippines on Monday, October 18, 1976, 02:50:53 UTC, at a depth of 75.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on October 9, 1976.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 75 km
- Intermediate
- 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
358 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: intermediate
75 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on November 7, 1976. 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 205 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 · 127 km S of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 239 km E of this epicenter
- 8.01972 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeDecember 2, 1972 · 295 km E of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 47 km S of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 244 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.410 km ESE of Basak, PhilippinesDecember 19, 1928 · 27 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4Mindanao, PhilippinesMarch 31, 1955 · 143 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.312 km SSW of Kipit, PhilippinesOctober 20, 1942 · 220 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 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 · 44 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1955M7.4
Mindanao: Lanao,Ozamiz,Cotabato
31 Mar 1955 · 143 km away · intensity VIII
465 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1913M7.8
Sangihe Island
14 Mar 1913 · 277 km away · intensity IX
138 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 27 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 127 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1897M8.7
Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela
21 Sep 1897 · 234 km away · intensity IX
13 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.