6.0

M6.0 Earthquake 9 km W of Magsaysay, Philippines — February 7, 2021

2021-02-07 04:22:56 UTC (2021-02-07) · approx. 12:22 PM UTC+8 local

Felt by 77 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 7.5 (severe).

MagnitudeM6.0(mww)
Time04:22 UTC≈ 12:22 PM UTC+8
Depth16.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates6.769°, 125.101°
Felt by77DYFI responses· max MMI 7.5
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On February 7, 2021 at 04:22 UTC, a magnitude 6.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 9 km W of Magsaysay, Philippines, at a depth of 16.0 km and coordinates 6.7693°, 125.1011°. The earthquake was reported felt by 77 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 7.5 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. The nearest populated place is Dolo (population 3,973).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 15 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 8.3 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

Nearest Populated Places

Dolopop. 3,973
MMI 7.4 (severe)
Magsaysaypop. 16,592
MMI 7.4 (severe)
Bansalanpop. 21,391
MMI 7.3 (severe)
Sinawilanpop. 4,017
MMI 6.9 (very strong)
Managapop. 3,460
MMI 6.8 (very strong)
Bulatukanpop. 4,305
MMI 6.8 (very strong)
Map showing earthquake epicenter at 6.77°, 125.10°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M6.0 earthquake near 9 km W of Magsaysay, Philippines

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 77 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M6.0 earthquake near 9 km W of Magsaysay, Philippines

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Population exposure (USGS PAGER)

Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.

Shaking intensity (MMI)DescriptionPopulation exposed
MMI 3weak8,115,761
MMI 4light9,779,051
MMI 5moderate3,476,527
MMI 6strong1,403,071
MMI 7very strong339,230
MMI 8severe528

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
6.0 mww
Depth
16.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
6.7693°N
125.1011°E
Felt Reports
77
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
7.5
severe
Community Intensity
7.2
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000df9r
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
609
Azimuthal Gap
37.0°
Min Station Distance
0.560°
RMS Residual
1.39 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 18:49:31 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 6.0 earthquake near Magsaysay, Philippines?

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck 9 km W of Magsaysay, Philippines on February 7, 2021 at 04:22 UTC had a depth of 16.0 km. It was felt by 77 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 7.5 (severe). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 6.7693°, 125.1011°, which is 9 km W of Magsaysay, Philippines. The nearest populated place is Dolo (population 3,973). View all earthquakes in Philippines.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.0 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months 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 6.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000df9r). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, February 7, 2021). M6.0 Earthquake 9 km W of Magsaysay, Philippines — February 7, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000df9r/