Philippine Fault Zone
Philippines · continental transform · 9737.8 km of mapped active fault in 79 traces
background as of 7 November 2026.
consistent with baseline
| Window | the last 30.0 days |
|---|---|
| Earthquakes counted | 0 at M4.5 or above |
| Expected in that window | 2.49 |
What this system normally does
From 1995 to 2025 the catalogue holds 910 earthquakes of M4.5 or larger attributable to this system: about 30.33 a year. That figure is what "elevated" on this page is measured against.
The fault itself
| Mapped length | 9737.8 km |
|---|---|
| Traces | 79 |
| Tectonic setting | continental transform |
| Slip types | Sinistral, Sinistral-Reverse, Dextral |
| Depth attributed to it | down to 50.0 km |
| Extent | 3.86 to 18.56 latitude, 119.91 to 126.74 longitude |
Recorded history
NOAA's hazard records hold 67 significant earthquakes and 18 tsunamis attributed to this system since 1645.
The deadliest was the 16 August 1976 magnitude 8.0 earthquake (Philippines: Mindanao: S), which killed 8,000 people.
The strongest earthquake on record here was magnitude 8.7, on 21 September 1897 (Philippines: Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela).
The most recent entry is the 2 December 2023 magnitude 7.6 earthquake (Philippines: Mindanao: E), which killed 3 people.
Across the entries that record a death toll, 13,160 people died.
| Date | What | Where | Toll |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 August 1976 | magnitude 8.0 earthquake | Philippines: Mindanao: S | 8,000 dead, $134 million damage |
| 16 August 1976 | tsunami (waves to 9 m) | Moro Gulf | 8,000 dead, $134 million damage |
| 16 July 1990 | magnitude 7.8 earthquake | Philippines: Baguio, Cabanatuan, Dagupan | 2,412 dead, $370 million damage |
| 16 July 1990 | tsunami (waves to 2 m) | W. Luzon Island | 2,412 dead, $370 million damage |
| 15 June 1991 | magnitude 5.5 earthquake | Philippines: Luzon: Manila, Pinatubo Eruption | 800 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 30 November 1645 | magnitude 8.0 earthquake | Philippines: Luzon: S Batangas To N Cagayan | 600 dead, damage over $25 million |
| 31 March 1955 | magnitude 7.4 earthquake | Philippines: Mindanao: Lanao, Ozamiz, Cotabato | 465 dead, $5 million damage |
| 3 June 1863 | magnitude 6.5 earthquake | Philippines: Manila, Rizal, Bulacan | 400 dead, 1,172 homes destroyed, damage over $25 million |
| 14 November 1994 | magnitude 7.1 earthquake | Philippines: Mindoro | 81 dead, 1,530 homes destroyed, $4 million damage |
| 14 November 1994 | tsunami (waves to 7.3 m) | Philippine Islands | 81 dead, 1,530 homes destroyed, $4 million damage |
| 24 January 1948 | magnitude 7.8 earthquake | Philippines: Panay, Iloilo City, Antique | 74 dead, $4 million damage |
| 24 January 1948 | tsunami | Sulu Sea | 74 dead, $4 million damage |
| 15 August 1918 | magnitude 8.3 earthquake | Philippines: Mindanao: Cotabato | 52 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 22 March 1840 | magnitude 6.5 earthquake | Philippines: Sorsogon, Masbate Is, Casiguran, Albay | 52 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 15 August 1918 | tsunami (waves to 7.2 m) | Celebes Sea | 52 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 6 February 2012 | magnitude 6.7 earthquake | Philippines: Negros Oriental Province | 51 dead, 15,000 homes destroyed, $9 million damage |
| 6 February 2012 | tsunami (waves to 5 m) | Tanon Strait | 51 dead, 15,000 homes destroyed, $9 million damage |
| 17 August 1983 | magnitude 6.5 earthquake | Philippines: Luzon | 16 dead, $2 million damage |
| 17 August 1983 | tsunami | Luzon Island | 16 dead, damage $1 to 5 million |
| 17 March 1973 | magnitude 7.5 earthquake | Philippines: Quezon City: Calaug, Lopez, Guiayangan | 15 dead, 98 homes destroyed, damage under $1 million |
| 7 April 1970 | magnitude 7.3 earthquake | Philippines: Luzon | 15 dead, damage $1 to 5 million |
| 7 April 1970 | tsunami (waves to 4.3 m) | Philippine Sea | 15 dead, damage $1 to 5 million |
| 17 March 1973 | tsunami (waves to 1.3 m) | Quezon | 15 dead, 98 homes destroyed, damage under $1 million |
| 21 September 1897 | magnitude 8.7 earthquake | Philippines: Mindanao, Zamboanga, Sulu, Isabela | 13 dead, damage $5 to 25 million |
| 15 December 2019 | magnitude 6.8 earthquake | Philippines: Mindanao: Davao | 13 dead, 4,546 homes destroyed, damage over $25 million |
These are the 25 deadliest and largest of 85 entries. A dash means NOAA recorded no number, not that nobody died. Older entries are fewer because fewer were written down, not because less happened.
Recorded history: NOAA NCEI hazard databases, public domain, retrieved 2026-10-22.
Where these numbers come from
Fault geometry, length and segment counts: GEM Global Active Faults Database (GEM GAF-DB), GEM Foundation, https://github.com/GEMScienceTools/gem-global-active-faults Licence: CC-BY-SA-4.0. Figures derived from it here are offered under the same licence. Earthquake counts, magnitudes and depths: United States Geological Survey, public domain. The activity judgement is ours, computed from those two inputs, and is not a statement by either agency.