M4.9 Earthquake 0 km NNW of General Nakar, Philippines — December 21, 2020
2020-12-21 18:14:47 UTC (2020-12-21) · approx. 2:14 AM UTC+8 local
Felt by 93 people across nearby locations.
On December 21, 2020 at 18:14 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 0 km NNW of General Nakar, Philippines, at a depth of 37.9 km and coordinates 14.7716°, 121.6318°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Philippines, a region characterized by the Manila Trench and Philippine Trench subduction systems, where the Philippine Sea Plate overrides the Eurasian Plate. The nearest mapped fault system is the Philippine Fault. View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 93 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
121.6318°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near General Nakar, Philippines?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck 0 km NNW of General Nakar, Philippines on December 21, 2020 at 18:14 UTC had a depth of 37.9 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 14.7716°, 121.6318°, which is 0 km NNW of General Nakar, Philippines. View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Philippines had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Philippines was the M8.0 Mindanao earthquake of August 17, 1976. Today's magnitude 4.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000d1q5). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, December 21, 2020). M4.9 Earthquake 0 km NNW of General Nakar, Philippines — December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000d1q5/