M5.3 Earthquake near Leyte, Philippines — March 20, 2022
2022-03-20 16:39:20 UTC (2022-03-20) · approx. 12:39 AM UTC+8 local
Felt by 19 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.5 (very strong).
On March 20, 2022 at 16:39 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Leyte, Philippines, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 10.9423°, 124.8614°. The earthquake was reported felt by 19 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.5 (very strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. The nearest populated place is Burauen (population 14,268).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 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
Nearest Populated Places
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.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 19 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
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) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 11,805,537 |
| MMI 4 | light | 2,554,807 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 604,826 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 212,100 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 330 |
Earthquake Details
124.8614°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Leyte, Philippines?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck near Leyte, Philippines on March 20, 2022 at 16:39 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 19 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.5 (very strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 10.9423°, 124.8614°, which is near Leyte, Philippines. The nearest populated place is Burauen (population 14,268). View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 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 5.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000h67d). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, March 20, 2022). M5.3 Earthquake near Leyte, Philippines — March 20, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000h67d/