Zamboanga

Earthquakes near Zamboanga through history

From 1900 to October 19, 2026, USGS recorded 8 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 100 km of Zamboanga, or 200 km for magnitude 7 and above. 7 of them reached magnitude 7 or more; the strongest on either list was an estimated magnitude 8.7 on September 21, 1897 (Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela).

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The last 30 days · as of

USGS recorded no earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or more within 100 km of Zamboanga in the last 30 days.

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What the record holds

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 6 here, back to 1874. NOAA records deaths in 3 of the events here, 1,632 in all. The latest on NOAA’s list is a magnitude 7.6 on July 23, 2010 (61 km W of Bantogon, Philippines). NOAA’s record here begins on August 24, 1874 with an earthquake (Mindanao,Zamboanga,Isabela (Basilan)). 4 of the 6 significant earthquakes NOAA lists here came before 1927. NOAA lists 2 tsunamis from elsewhere that reached the coast within 100 km of Zamboanga with deaths or a metre of water or more. The highest water NOAA records here was 7 m, on September 21, 1897. The deadliest here came on August 16, 1976 from a magnitude 8 earthquake (Moro Gulf): NOAA’s runup records count 1,154 deaths within 100 km of Zamboanga.

The events

  • July 23, 2010Earthquake · M 7.661 km W of Bantogon, PhilippinesUSGS · NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • August 16, 1976Tsunami · 5.5 m hereMoro Gulf · 1,154 deaths here (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • March 31, 1955Earthquake · M 7.4Mindanao, Philippines · 465 deaths (NOAA)USGS · NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • September 21, 1897Earthquake · M 8.7 (est.)Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela · 13 deaths (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • September 21, 1897Tsunami · 7 m hereSulu Sea · 13 deaths here (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • September 20, 1897Earthquake · M 8.6 (est.)Nw Mindanao: DapitanNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • August 24, 1874EarthquakeMindanao,Zamboanga,Isabela (Basilan)NOAA NCEI

Good to know

  • An event counts for Zamboanga 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

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