EARTHQUAK

ES
HISTORY OF EARTHQUAKES IN THE PHILIPPINES
&
PREPAREDNESS FOR FUTURE EARTHQUAKES

WHAT IS AN EARTHQUAKE?
Any sudden shaking of the ground caused by a
passage of seismic waves through the Earths
rocks.

Seismic waves are produced when some form

of energy stored in the Earths crust is
suddenly released, usually when masses of
rock straining against one another suddenly
fracture and slip.

PHILVOCS (Philippine Institute of

Volcanology and Seismology)
Is a Philippine national institution dedicated to
provide information on the activities of
volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well
as other specialized information and services
primarily for the protection of life and property
and in support of economic, productivity, and
sustainable development.

INTENSITY
SCALE

I
(Scarcely
Perceptible)

II
(Slightly Felt)

III
(Weak)

IV
(Moderately
Strong)

DESCRIPTION
- Perceptible to people under favorable circumstances.
Delicately balanced objects are disturbed slightly. Still Water in
containers oscillates slowly.
- Felt by few individuals at rest indoors. Hanging objects swing
slightly. Still Water in containers oscillates noticeably.
- Felt by many people indoors especially in upper floors of
buildings. Dizziness and nausea are experienced by some
people. Hanging objects swing moderately. Still water in
containers oscillates moderately.
- Felt generally by people indoors and by some people
outdoors. Light sleepers are awakened. Dinner, plates, glasses,
windows and doors rattle. Floors and walls of wood framed
buildings creak. Standing motor cars may rock slightly.
Rumbling sound may sometimes be heard.

INTENSITY
SCALE

V
(Strong)

VI
(Very Strong)

VII
(Destructive)

DESCRIPTION
- Generally felt by most people indoors and outdoors. Many
sleeping people are awakened. Some are frightened, some
run outdoors. Strong shaking and rocking felt throughout
buildings. Standing vehicles rock noticeably. Shaking of
leaves and twigs of trees are noticeable.
- Many people are frightened; many run outdoors. Some
people lose their balance. Motorists feel like driving in flat
tires. Heavy objects or furniture move or may be shifted.
Small church bells may ring. Very old or poorly built houses
and man-made structures are slightly damaged though wellbuilt structures are not affected. Limited rock falls and rolling
boulders occur in hilly to mountainous areas and
escarpments. Trees are noticeably shaken.
- Most people are frightened and run outdoors. People find it
difficult to stand in upper floors. Heavy objects and furniture
overturn or topple. Big church bells may ring. Old or poorlybuilt structures suffer considerably damage. Some well-built
structures are slightly damaged.

INTENSITY SCALE

VIII
(Very Destructive)

IX
(Devastating)

DESCRIPTION
- People panicky. People find it difficult to stand even
outdoors. Many well-built buildings are considerably
damaged. Concrete dikes and foundation of bridges are
destroyed by ground settling or toppling. Numerous
landslides and rockfalls occur in mountainous and hilly
areas. Boulders are thrown out from their positions
particularly near the epicenter. Fissures and faults
rapture may be observed. Trees are violently shaken.
- People are forcibly thrown to ground. Most buildings
are totally damaged. bridges and elevated concrete
structures are toppled or destroyed. Numerous utility
posts, towers and monument are tilted, toppled or
broken. Trees are shaken very violently with some
toppled or broken. Boulders are commonly thrown out.
River water splashes violently on slops over dikes and
banks.

INTENSITY SCALE

X
(Completely
Devastating)

Low: 13

DESCRIPTION
- Practically all man-made structures are destroyed.
Massive landslides and liquefaction, large scale
subsidence and uplifting of land forms and many
ground fissures are observed. Changes in river courses
and destructive seiches in large lakes occur. Many trees
are toppled, broken and uprooted.

Moderate
4-5

High: 610

HISTORY OF EARTHQUAKES IN THE

PHILIPPINES
SPANISH ERA 17th Century
1599 June 25, an intensity 6 earthquake struck Manila. The quake had damage many private
buildings and ruined the roof of Old Santo Domingo Church

1600 January 2, An intensity 8 quake struck Manila

1601 January 16, a quake struck Manila, the earthquake lasted about 7 minutes, and
aftershocks were experience the whole year.

1608 December 3, an intensity 7 quake struck Dulag Island and Palo Island, Leyte.
1610 November, an intensity 9 quake struck Manila, it was terrible quake that progressed
from east to west.

1620 An intensity 9 quake struck Panay Island. A great number of casualties were reported in
Capiz and Iloilo provinces. The earthquake changed the course of the Aklan River and damaged
stone churches and their faades in Passi, Iloilo.

 1627 An intensity 10 quake struck Northern Luzon. Convulsions were felt in Cagayan and
Ilocos Norte provinces, the Bontoc and Lepanto, and central parts of the Cordillera Central.
Other sources claimed that the Caraballo Mountains somewhat subsided.

1628 An intensity 9 quake struck Albay and Camarines. The quake caused avalanches of
ashes, lapilli, water and sand that swept away whole towns in Albay and Camarines.

1636 December 21, An intensity 9 quake struck Illana Bay, Western Mindanao. Landslides
reported along Illana Bay, Sibuguey Bay and Point Flechas.

1641 January 4, An intensity 10 quake struck Northern Luzon. The quake occurred after the
1641 eruption of Mount Parker. Landslides and mudflow destroyed villages in Ilocos provinces,
Cagayan and the Cordillera Central.

1645 November 30, a magnitude 7.5 quake struck Luzon. The earthquake was then the
strongest to hit the Islands since the Spanish conquest. It had greatly damaged newly
constructed churches and Manila Cathedral, along with residential villas and buildings in the
city and nearby provinces. Some 600 people were reported dead

1645 December 5, An intensity 8 quake struck Luzon. It was a major aftershock of the November
30, 1645 Luzon earthquake, and it had further destroyed remaining buildings in Manila and nearby
towns. Aftershocks ceased around March 1646.

 1648 an intensity 9 quake struck Southern Luzon. It was a very violent earthquake
that wrecked many buildings.

1653 May 1, An intensity 6 quake struck Manila.

1658 August 20, An intensity 9 quake struck Southern Luzon. It was comparable to
the 1645 Luzon earthquake, but had caused less damage on building and was less
proximity from the epicenter. It had destroyed the Royal Monastery of Santa Clara,
several monasteries of the Dominicans and Recollects, the Jesuit College and
episcopal palaces.

1665 June 19, An intensity 8 struck Manila. Only a Jesuit church experienced great
damage. 19 were reported dead.

1675 February, An intensity 8 struck Isla Verde Passage. The quake destroyed
many buildings in northern Oriental Mindoro and southern Batangas provinces. This
led to occurrences of landslides, opening of ground fissures, and subsidence of
beaches along the coast of Mindoro.

1683 August 24, An intensity VII struck Manila.

18th Century 19th

Century
September 24, An intensity 7 struck Lake Bombon (now known as Taal Lake). It was
1716
connected with the eruption of Taal volcano; the constant volcanic activity in the area of Taal
caused seismic movements.

1730 An intensity 9 struck Tayabas (now known as Quezon). It had ruined the churches and
convent in Mauban and several other churches in the province of Tayabas and Laguna.

1863 June 3, An earthquake destroyed Manila Cathedral, the Ayuntamiento (city hall), the
Governor's Palace (all three located at the time on Plaza Mayor, now Plaza de Roma) and
much of the city. The residence of the Governor-General was moved to Malacaang Palace
located about 3km (1.9 miles) up the Pasig River, while the other two buildings were rebuilt
in place.

1880 July 14-24, an intensity 10 struck Luzon. The quake caused severe damage to these
major cities in Luzon, most significantly in Manila where a lot of buildings collapsed. Number
of casualties are unknown.

1884 October 26, a quake struck Lucban, Quezon, It destroyed churches in Lucban, Tayabas
province and Cavinti in Laguna province.

1897 September 20 and 21. Two earthquakes struck near Basilan island near Mindanao.

American Period and Post-World War II Early 20th

Century

1912 July 11, A magnitude 7.5 quake struck Northeastern Mindanao. Damage and
high intensity were experienced by towns of La Paz, Bunauan, Veruela and
Talacogon in the Agusan Valley where intense ground shaking, liquefaction,
widespread landslides and river/lake seiches occurred.

1949 December 29, An intensity VII earthquake struck Luzon, mainly Isabela.
Starting at 11:05a.m., it lasted for two-and-a-half minutes. The damage was
moderately destructive, causing landslides and rough waves capsizing boats, as
well as fissures that spat out black water. The intensity ranged from IV to VII
throughout Luzon.

1948 January 25 at 1:46 am, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck Panay Island. The
epicenter was between the municipalities of Anini-y and Dao in Antique province.

Contemporary Period Mid Late 20th

Century

1968 August 2, a magnitude of 7.3 earthquake struck Casiguran, Aurora, at the depth of
approximately 31km. It was considered the most severe and destructive earthquake experienced
in the Philippines during the last 20 years. 270 people were reported dead and 261 were injured.

1973 March 17, a magnitude 7.0 quake struck Ragay Gulf. Calauag, Quezon was the worst hit, as
the quake caused 98 houses totally destroyed, and 270 more were partially damaged

1976 August 16, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Mindanao. The quake caused a devastating
tsunami that had hit the 700km coastline of the island of Mindanao bordering Moro Gulf in the
North Celebes Sea. An estimated 5,000 - 8,000 people died. The major cause of the great number
of casualties during the event could be attributed to the fact that the quake happened just after
midnight when most people were sleeping; and a great tsunami was spawned, struck the coasts
from different directions and caught the people unaware.

1983 August 17, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Laoag at a depth of 42km. The quake has
caused death of 16 people and injured 47 persons.

 1990 February 8, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Bohol Six fatalities were reported and more than 200
were injured in the event. About 46,000 people were displaced by the event and at least 7,000 among them
were rendered homeless. Estimated damage to properties is amounting to 154-million.

1990 June 14, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Panay Island at a depth of 15km. 7 persons died and 31
others were injured.

1990 July 16, A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Luzon. It caused severe damage to major cities in Luzon:
Dagupan City (soil liquefaction), Baguio City, and Cabanatuan City; Hyatt Terraces Baguio collapsed. 1,621
were reported dead. Damage to buildings, infrastructures, and properties amounted to at least 10-billion, a
part of which was caused by ground rupturing. However, some houses within 12 m on either side of the
ground rupture survived owing to their light-weight construction while those built of reinforced concrete
within this zone suffered partial damage. Damage beyond 2m depended mainly on the structural integrity of
the building and effects of local topography and ground conditions.

1994 November 15, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Mindoro at depth of 15km. The quake caused a
tsunami killed 41 persons and destroyed 1530 houses.

1996 May 27, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Bohol at a depth of 4km. The earthquake did not cause
major damage to properties. Damage was confined to poorly built structures and/or old wooden, masonry,
limestone walls of houses and buildings, generally due to ground shaking.

1999 June 7 and 9, a magnitude of 5.1 struck Bayugan, Agusan del Sur. The towns of Bayugan and
Talacogon were the most devastated.

21th Century
2001 January 1, a magnitude of 7.5 quake struck Mindanao on at a depth of 33km.
2002 March 5, a magnitude of 7.5 quake struck Central and Southern Mindanao at a depth of
31km. At least 15 people were killed, 100 injured and 800 buildings were damaged or
destroyed. A magnitude of 6.1 quake struck Sultan Kudarat on March 6, 2002. Office of Civil
Defense (OCD) records show that 8 people had died and 41 were injured due to the
earthquake. It affected 7,684 families in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North
Cotabato and South Cotabato including four cities and 17 municipalities.

2003 February 15, a magnitude of 6.2 quake struck Masbate on at a depth of 22km. The
quake damaged major infrastructures in Masbate.

2003 November 18, a magnitude of 6.5 quake struck. 1 person was reported dead.
2004 October 8, a magnitude of 6.5 quake struck Mindoro.
2009 October 4, magnitude of 6.6 quake struck Moro Gulf
2010 July 23-24, series of quakes with the main quake's magnitude of 7.3 struck Moro Gulf.

 2011 March 20, a magnitude of 6.4 quake struck Ilocos Region.

2011 November 8, a magnitude of 5.2 quake struck Valencia City, Bukidnon at a depth of 1 km. 39
people were injured, and several establishments were damaged.

2012 February 6, a magnitude of 6.9 quake struck Negros, the rest of Central Visayas, and some
parts of Mindanao at a depthof 20km. The quake killed people, caused major damage on
infrastructures, and buildings. A tsunami alert level 2 was raised due to the quake. The quake also
caused a landslide, burying a barangay. More than a thousand of aftershocks were recorded by
PHIVOLCS within 2 days since the quake occurred. According to NDRRMC, as of February 18, 2012,
the death toll have risen to 51 with 62 people still missing, and injuring 112 people. Most deaths
came from the city of Guihulngan and La Libertad where landslides occurred. 63, 697 from
provinces in Region VII were affected by the quake. 15, 483 houses were partially or totally
damaged, and a total of 383-million worth of damage to buildings, roads and bridges, and other
infrastructures were recorded.

2012 March 16, a magnitude of 5.9 quake struck Surigao City. Many were injured in the city for
that certain day was the grand opening of Gaisano Capital Surigao. An estimated 6,000 people
were in Gaisano when the earthquake happened. The earthquake caused a stampede which injured
people.

 2012 August 31, an earthquake with magnitude 7.6 struck 106km near Guiuan, Eastern
SamarIt was felt in certain areas of Visayas and Mindanao. 1 person died, and another one
was injured in Cagayan de Oro City after being trapped in a collapsed house due to a
landslide. Minutes after the quake, power interruptions occurred in the affected areas. The
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that a house in Agusan
del Sur province caught fire sparked by a gas lamp that was toppled during the earthquake.
It also reported that two bridges in Eastern Samar, particularly the Buyayawan Bridge in
Mercedes town and the Barangay Casuroy Bridge in San Julian town, were partially
damaged. The Abreeza Mall in Bajada, Davao City suffered minor cracks on the floor due to
the earthquake. In General MacArthur, Eastern Samar, 77 homes were damaged. There
were also 6 houses damaged in Barangay Casoroy, San Julian. In Balangiga, Eastern Samar,
a hospital sustained serious damage. A wall from an old building collapsed in Butuan City.
The NDRRMC reported on Saturday noon there were cracks on some roads and bridges and
other establishments in areas where the quake was felt. Most of the homes destroyed were
those made of light materials, while overall damage to infrastructure remained minimal. A
tsunami warning of Level 3 was raised by the PHILVOCS, but was lifted 5 hours after the
quake only caused tiny waves.

 2012 September 3, an earthquake with magnitude 5.9 struck Sultan Kudarat.

2012 September 3-4, a series of earthquakes, struck cities of Malaybalay and Valencia,
and the sitio of Musuan, Maramag in Bukidnon. The first quake has a magnitude of 3.4
and was felt at 06:48 PM, and was followed by magnitude 4.0 at 07:45 PM, and 4.7 at
09:21 PM. Hours after the first three, a series of quakes occurred in 03:44 AM and in
03:52 AM. The first quake had a magnitude of 5.6 with a depth of focus of 3km; while
the second one was recorded at a magnitude of 4.9 with a depth focus of 3km. The
quake was felt as far as Cagayan de Oro, Kidapawan, Butuan, and Cotabato cities. A nun
was injured in Barangay Lourdes in Valencia City after the incident. Valencia City
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 144 houses and
structures were destroyed. Mayor Ignacio Zubiri of Malaybalay City reported no
casualties nor damage in his city. The quakes were of tectonic in origin. A total of 131
aftershocks were recorded after the 5.6 quake in September 4, 2012.

2013 February 16, a 6.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Southern Mindanao 28
kilometers southeast of Caburan, Davao del Sur. According to the United States
Geological Survey, the quake struck at a depth of 98.2km.

 2013 June 1, a 5.7 earthquake struck the island of Mindanao, The quake's epicenter was located in Carmen,
Cotabato and struck with a depth of 5 kilometers. The said quake injured six people, 4 of them were children,
and fully or partly destroyed several houses, and some school buildings. It also damaged a bridge at Barangay
Kimadzil, and another one at Barangay Kibudtungan. The quake was followed by 15 aftershocks, the last one
was followed by a 4.3 quake on June 2, 2013. The quake caused 71-million worth of damage. Another quake
jolted the said town after 4:00 AM on June 3, 2013. The quake was recorded at 5.7 and struck at a depth of 3
kilometers. The newest quake further injured 8 more people, and damaged more houses. Classes which was
slated to open on June 3, 2013, were cancelled due to a series of quakes that hit the town since June 1, 2013.

2013 October 15, at 8:12a.m. (PST), a magnitude of 7.2 earthquake struck Bohol. Its epicenter was located 6
kilometres (3.7mi) SW of Sagbayan at a depth of 12 kilometres (7.5mi). According to the official report by the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, 222 were reported dead while 796 people were
injured. Tens of thousands of structures were damaged by the earthquake. Most notable were the national
historical churches in Bohol and Cebu.

2014 June 25, at 7:56p.m. a magnitude of 5.7 earthquake struck Batangas at a depth of 48km.
2014 December 17, at 2:36p.m., a magnitude of 4.6 quake struck Misamis Oriental at a depth of 18km.
2015 January 11, at 3:31 a.m., a magnitude of 5.9 quake struck San Antonio, Zambales before dawn of
Sunday.

2015 July 3, at 2:43 p.m., a magnitude 6.1 quake struck 47km N 47E of Burgos (Surigao del Norte) at a
depth of 26km

Deadliest earthquakes

(ten deadliest recorded earthquakes in the Philippines since the 1600s)

M

Origi
n

Location

Date

Mortal
ity

Missi
ng

Injure
d

Damage

7.9

Tecton
ic

Moro Gulf

August 16, 1976

4,791

2,288

9,928

7.8

Tecton
ic

Luzon Island

July 16, 1990

1,666

1,000

3,000
<

10 billion

7.5

Luzon Island

7
5

7.1
7.3

November 15,
August
2, 1968
1994

78
271

6.7

Mindoro
Casiguran,
Aurora
Negros
Oriental

3,000
<
796
Unkno
wn
430
261

Unknown

7.2
7.6

November 30,
1645
October 15,
March2013
31, 1955

600 <

6
4

Tecton
ic
Tecton
Tecton
ic
ic
Tecton
Tecton
ic
ic
Tecton
ic

February 6,
2012

51

8.3

Panay (Lady

January 25,
1948

50
(est.)

Tecton
ic

Bohol & Cebu

Mindanao

Caycay)

222
400 <

62

112

4 billion (est.)
US$5 million
5.15 million
383 million
7 million

FIN.