M7.6 earthquake 89 km E of Sulangan, Philippines

Friday, August 31, 2012, 12:47:33 UTC · 10.811°N, 126.638°E

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 89 km E of Sulangan, Philippines on Friday, August 31, 2012, 12:47:33 UTC, at a depth of 28.0 km (shallow). USGS received 287 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VIII (severe). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on December 15, 1989.

Magnitude: 7.6; Major · mww
Depth: 28 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 287; Max intensity VIII
Est. shaking: V; Moderate (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

31 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

28 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

287 people reported feeling this earthquake to USGS; a per-place breakdown is not available 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 280 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on August 31, 2012. 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 1,081 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 31 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 18 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1990M6.6
Bohol, Cebu, Cagayan De Oro, Camiguin
8 Feb 1990 · 243 km away · intensity VII
6 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
1922M6.3
Cebu Island, Mactan Island
27 Feb 1922 · 286 km away · intensity V
5 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1989M7.5
Mindanao: Cotabato, Davao
15 Dec 1989 · 275 km away · intensity VI
2 deaths$1 million damage
2003M6.5
Samar: Can-Avid
18 Nov 2003 · 190 km away · intensity VII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
1975M7.6
Philippines
31 Oct 1975 · 205 km away · intensity VI
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
2012M7.6
Cagayan De Oro, Tacloban
31 Aug 2012 · 0 km away
1 deathUnder $1 million damagetsunami

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

Nearby trackers