M7.6 earthquake 37 km ENE of Barcelona, Philippines

Friday, December 15, 1989, 18:43:45 UTC · 8.337°N, 126.729°E

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 37 km ENE of Barcelona, Philippines on Friday, December 15, 1989, 18:43:45 UTC, at a depth of 24.4 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.0 on December 2, 1972.

Magnitude: 7.6; Major · mw
Depth: 24 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 0; Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking: VII; Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

3.8 megatons of TNT

That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

46 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Philippine Sea and Sunda plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

24 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 lists 110 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.5 on December 20, 1989. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 717 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 30 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1870
Mindanao: Davao,Blanco
4 Nov 1870 · 209 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
1989M7.5
Mindanao: Cotabato, Davao
15 Dec 1989 · 0 km away · intensity VI
2 deaths$1 million damage
1987M5.2
Mindanao: Talakag-Malaybalay
23 May 1987 · 149 km away · intensity II
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)
1879
Nw Mindanao: Surigao
30 Jun 1879 · 211 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
1924M8.3
E Mindanao: Mati,Suriga
14 Apr 1924 · 206 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1911M7.8
Mindanao: Talacogon,Davao,Butuan
12 Jul 1911 · 109 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers