Philippines earthquakes

M5.8 earthquake 46 km E of Barcelona, Philippines

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 46 km E of Barcelona, Philippines on Wed, Dec 20, 1989, 4:35 PM GMT+8 (08:35 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.

Bislig forecast More in Philippines

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.8 (Mw, moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Wed, Dec 20, 1989, 4:35 PM GMT+8
UTC: 1989-12-20 08:35:20 UTC
Depth: 39.3 km (24.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 8.192° N, 126.852° E
Region: Philippines
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.8	Mw, moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.76	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.8	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=7 Dip=85 Slip=34 NP2:Strike=274 Dip=56 Slip=174 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=27 Azm=236 (P) Plg=19 Azm=135 Comment: The focal mechanism is poorly controlled and corresponds to strike-slip faulting with a large reverse component. The preferred fault plane is not determined. MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 27 No. of sta: 5 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=1.65 Mtt=0.69 Mff=-2.33 Mrt=-1.05 Mrf=3.63 Mtf=-3.05 Principal axes: (T) Val=5.26 Plg=43 Azm=226 (N) Val=0.04 Plg=39 Azm=4 (P) Val=-5.30 Plg=23 Azm=113 Best Double Couple:Mo=5.3*10**17 NP1:Strike=250 Dip=41 Slip=162 NP2:Strike=354 Dip=78 Slip=50 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 10S, 23C Centroid Location: Origin Time 08:35:21.2 0.3 Lat 7.64N 0.05 Lon 127.09E 0.05 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 2.7 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=3.58 0.18 Mtt=1.83 0.15 Mff=-5.41 0.25 Mrt=-2.34 0.32 Mrf=1.00 0.53 Mtf=-0.59 0.15 Principal Axes: (T) Val=5.33 Plg=55 Azm=191 (N) Val=0.21 Plg=35 Azm=359 (P) Val=-5.54 Plg=6 Azm=93 Best Double Couple:Mo=5.4*10**17 NP1:Strike=215 Dip=50 Slip=138 NP2:Strike=335 Dip=59 Slip=49

From the USGS event page for usp00043b6. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 3.3% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.9 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.8 and up: 40 in the 60 days after this one and 74 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Philippines earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00043b6 (also filed as gcmtb122089c, gcmt19891220083520, iscgem384433). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 4:14 AM UTC.