Philippines earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 32 km ENE of Barcelona, Philippines

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 32 km ENE of Barcelona, Philippines on Fri, Feb 2, 1990, 2:33 AM GMT+8 (18:33 UTC), 61 km (38 mi) below the surface.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.5 (Mw, moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Fri, Feb 2, 1990, 2:33 AM GMT+8
UTC: 1990-02-01 18:33:53 UTC
Depth: 61.0 km (37.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 8.247° N, 126.712° 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
5.5	Mw, moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.44	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.4	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary

What happened

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

CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 12S, 22C Centroid Location: Origin Time 18:33:53.5 0.4 Lat 8.06N 0.07 Lon 127.18E 0.08 Dep 16.7 3.4 Half-duration 2.1 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=1.60 0.14 Mtt=-0.03 0.11 Mff=-1.57 0.18 Mrt=-0.36 0.29 Mrf=0.75 0.34 Mtf=-0.38 0.11 Principal Axes: (T) Val=1.87 Plg=71 Azm=226 (N) Val=-0.08 Plg=15 Azm=7 (P) Val=-1.79 Plg=11 Azm=100 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.8*10**17 NP1:Strike=208 Dip=36 Slip=116 NP2:Strike=357 Dip=58 Slip=72

From the USGS event page for usp00044yw. 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: 3.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.3 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 2.5 and up: 16 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00044yw (also filed as gcmtb020190b, gcmt19900201183353, iscgem377292). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 9:52 PM UTC.