Reviewed by USGSPhilippines16y ago
M7.6 earthquake 61 km W of Bantogon, Philippines
Friday, July 23, 2010, 22:51:11 UTC · 6.497°N, 123.480°E
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 61 km W of Bantogon, Philippines on Friday, July 23, 2010, 22:51:11 UTC, at a depth of 578.0 km (deep). USGS received 28 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of V (moderate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.9 on August 16, 1976.
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Major · mwc
- Depth
- 578 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 28
- Max intensity V
- Est. shaking
- III
- Weak (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
417 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: deep
578 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cebu, Central Visayas, Philippines | IV · Light | 6 | 717 km |
| Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | III · Weak | 4 | 628 km |
| Cagayan, Northern Mindanao, Philippines | III · Weak | 3 | 630 km |
| Cotabato, Central Mindanao, Philippines | V · Moderate | 1 | 589 km |
| Purikay, Central Mindanao, Philippines | V · Moderate | 1 | 582 km |
| Digos, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | IV · Light | 1 | 614 km |
| Recodo, Western Mindanao, Philippines | IV · Light | 1 | 604 km |
| Ternate, Maluku Utara, Indonesia | IV · Light | 1 | 958 km |
| Mati, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | III · Weak | 1 | 654 km |
| Polomolok, Southern Mindanao, Philippines | III · Weak | 1 | 604 km |
| Beaufort, Sabah, Malaysia | III · Weak | 1 | 1040 km |
| Bacolod, Western Visayas, Philippines | III · Weak | 1 | 739 km |
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 32 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.5 on July 23, 2010. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.731 km W of Gadung, Philippines16y ago · 46 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.766 km WSW of Gadung, Philippines16y ago · 19 km N of this epicenter
- 4.238 km W of Gadung, Philippines16y ago · 38 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.836 km W of Bantogon, Philippines16y ago · 24 km E of this epicenter
- 4.943 km W of Taguisa, Philippines16y ago · 24 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.453 km W of Sangay, Philippines16y ago · 19 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.564 km W of Taguisa, Philippines16y ago · 16 km N of this epicenter
- 4.966 km W of Bantogon, Philippines16y ago · 10 km NW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 540 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 · 121 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.11924 Mindanao, Philippines EarthquakeApril 14, 1924 · 297 km E of this epicenter
- 7.919 km WNW of Palimbang, PhilippinesAugust 16, 1976 · 65 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.947 km ESE of Kalbay, PhilippinesMarch 14, 1913 · 287 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5Mindanao, PhilippinesMarch 5, 2002 · 99 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.545 km SW of Sarangani, PhilippinesNovember 20, 1984 · 234 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.410 km ESE of Basak, PhilippinesDecember 19, 1928 · 88 km E of this epicenter
- 7.4Mindanao, PhilippinesMarch 31, 1955 · 134 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 27 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,656 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1976M8.0
Mindanao: S
16 Aug 1976 · 71 km away · intensity VI
8,000 deaths$134 million damagetsunami
- 1955M7.4
Mindanao: Lanao,Ozamiz,Cotabato
31 Mar 1955 · 134 km away · intensity VIII
465 deaths$5 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.4
Cotabato,N Coast Of Illana Bay
19 Dec 1928 · 88 km away · intensity VII
97 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M8.3
Mindanao: Cotabato
15 Aug 1918 · 121 km away · intensity X
52 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2002M7.5
Mindanao
5 Mar 2002 · 99 km away
15 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1897M8.7
Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela
21 Sep 1897 · 173 km away · intensity IX
13 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.