M5.0 Earthquake 33 km ENE of Santa Monica, Philippines — December 15, 2021
2021-12-15 13:11:42 UTC (2021-12-15) · approx. 9:11 PM UTC+8 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On December 15, 2021 at 13:11 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 33 km ENE of Santa Monica, Philippines, at a depth of 35.0 km and coordinates 10.1759°, 126.3021°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 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 1 citizen response 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
126.3021°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Santa Monica, Philippines?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 33 km ENE of Santa Monica, Philippines on December 15, 2021 at 13:11 UTC had a depth of 35.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 10.1759°, 126.3021°, which is 33 km ENE of Santa Monica, Philippines. View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks 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 5.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000gcdz). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, December 15, 2021). M5.0 Earthquake 33 km ENE of Santa Monica, Philippines — December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000gcdz/