Earthquakes near Iligan through history

The deadliest was not the strongest: a magnitude 7.4 on March 31, 1955 (Mindanao, Philippines), for which NOAA records 465 deaths. NOAA’s list of significant earthquakes has 12 here, back to 1636. NOAA records deaths in 5 of the events here, 1,391 in all. The latest on NOAA’s list is a magnitude 5.9 on November 18, 2019 (2 km N of Kadingilan, Philippines). NOAA’s record here begins on December 21, 1636 with an earthquake (Mindanao: Illana Bay). 6 of the 12 significant earthquakes NOAA lists here came before 1927. NOAA lists one tsunami from elsewhere that reached the coast within 100 km of Iligan with deaths or a metre of water or more. The highest water NOAA records here was 6 m, on August 16, 1976. The deadliest here came on August 16, 1976 from a magnitude 8 earthquake (Moro Gulf): NOAA’s runup records count 605 deaths within 100 km of Iligan. NOAA lists one significant eruption of one volcano within 100 km of Iligan. The largest was Ragang on January 16, 1873, at 2 on the volcanic explosivity index.

• November 18, 2019Earthquake · M 5.92 km N of Kadingilan, PhilippinesUSGS · NOAA NCEI
• July 23, 2010Earthquake · M 7.572 km S of Panubigan, PhilippinesUSGS
• August 16, 1976Tsunami · 6 m hereMoro Gulf · 605 deaths here (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
• March 31, 1955Earthquake · M 7.4Mindanao, Philippines · 465 deaths (NOAA)USGS · NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
• December 19, 1928Earthquake · M 7.410 km ESE of Basak, Philippines · 97 deaths (NOAA)USGS · NOAA NCEI
• January 16, 1873Eruption · VEI 2RagangNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
• December 21, 1636EarthquakeMindanao: Illana BayNOAA NCEI

• An event counts for Iligan when it began within 100 km of its centre, or 200 km for an earthquake of magnitude 7 or more. Damage can reach further.
• USGS counts here start at magnitude 6: the catalogue’s smaller quakes thin out going back, where few instruments listened.
• NOAA lists significant events only: earthquakes that killed, did about $1 million of damage, reached magnitude 7.5 or intensity X, or raised a tsunami, and eruptions and tsunamis by like measures. Magnitudes before 1900 are its estimates from written accounts.
• Deaths are NOAA’s total for each event, wherever people died, its tsunami and fires included. A tsunami counts the dead its runup records give for this place: NOAA’s total for a tsunami includes its source quake’s.
• A tsunami from elsewhere counts where one of its runups killed or rose a metre or more.
• Counted to October 19, 2026, as is the map. The last 30 days ask USGS again.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Earthquakes, live, The world through history