M5.0 Earthquake 97 km ESE of Pondaguitan, Philippines — March 17, 2023
2023-03-17 16:11:39 UTC (2023-03-17) · approx. 12:11 AM UTC+8 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On March 17, 2023 at 16:11 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 intermediate depth earthquake struck 97 km ESE of Pondaguitan, Philippines, at a depth of 70.2 km and coordinates 5.9274°, 126.9418°. This earthquake was detected by 71 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 385, placing it among routine seismic activity.
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
126.9418°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Pondaguitan, Philippines?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 97 km ESE of Pondaguitan, Philippines on March 17, 2023 at 16:11 UTC had a depth of 70.2 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 5.9274°, 126.9418°, which is 97 km ESE of Pondaguitan, 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: us7000jkwd). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, March 17, 2023). M5.0 Earthquake 97 km ESE of Pondaguitan, Philippines — March 17, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000jkwd/