5.1

M5.1 Earthquake 12 km E of Nangan, Philippines — July 18, 2021

2021-07-18 00:09:35 UTC (2021-07-18) · approx. 8:09 AM UTC+8 local

Felt by 3 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.1(mww)
Time00:09 UTC≈ 8:09 AM UTC+8
Depth70.9 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates6.462°, 126.233°
Felt by3DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On July 18, 2021 at 00:09 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 intermediate depth earthquake struck 12 km E of Nangan, Philippines, at a depth of 70.9 km and coordinates 6.4617°, 126.2332°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 6.46°, 126.23°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3 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 M5.1 earthquake near 12 km E of Nangan, Philippines

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.1 mww
Depth
70.9 km
intermediate depth
Location
6.4617°N
126.2332°E
Felt Reports
3
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
4.1
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000en16
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
401
Azimuthal Gap
44.0°
Min Station Distance
0.887°
RMS Residual
0.95 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 19:04:33 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Nangan, Philippines?

The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck 12 km E of Nangan, Philippines on July 18, 2021 at 00:09 UTC had a depth of 70.9 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 6.4617°, 126.2332°, which is 12 km E of Nangan, Philippines. View all earthquakes in Philippines.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 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 5.1 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000en16). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, July 18, 2021). M5.1 Earthquake 12 km E of Nangan, Philippines — July 18, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000en16/