July 23, 1885 Earthquake: Dapitan, NE Mindanao, Philippines
An earthquake struck Dapitan, NE Mindanao, Philippines on July 23, 1885 at 14:45 UTC.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- July 23, 1885
- Time
- 14:45 UTC
- Place
- Dapitan, NE Mindanao, Philippines
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 8.300° N, 123.600° E
- Country
- Philippines
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
July 23, 1885, 22:45 [local time], intensity IX, Northwestern Mindanao. Destructive earthquake which ruined several buildings in the towns and villages of the Dapitan district. The origin lay in the east-northeastern part of the Sulu Sea. The disturbance was felt strongly in nearly all of the Visayan Islands, in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. Repetitions were frequent until the end of October, those of July 31, September 9, September 23, and October 25 being very intense. (reference #1072)
July 23, 1885, S. Negros, NW Mindanao, and Cebu, intensity X, very destructive. (reference #1058)
July 23, 1885, 14:45 UTC, Philippines, N.E. Mindanao, Dapitan district, intensity III which corresponds to an earthquake which destroyed towns and devastated districts. (reference #1055)
July 23, 1885, 10:45 a.m. [p.m.] 8.43 N, 123.6 E, intensity X. Mindanao: Dapitan - there has been considerable material damage. Some houses have fallen and others are tilted. The government houses have suffered quite a bit. The rectory suffered but little. (reference #1187)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 31, 1955, Lanao,ozamiz,cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines
- October 15, 2013, Bohol, Cebu, Siquijor Is, Philippines
- December 19, 1928, Cotabato,n Coast of Illana Bay, Philippines
- February 6, 2012, Negros Oriental Province, Philippines
- May 5, 1925, W. Luzon Island, Philippines
- March 18, 1985, Pagadian, Zamboanga, Philippines
- November 7, 2007, Mabini, Bohol Island, Philippines
- December 21, 1636, Illana Bay, Mindanao, Philippines
- September 1, 1922, Philippines
- March 1, 1922, Siaton,zamboanguita, Philippines
- August 21, 1902, Lanao, Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines
- December 8, 1871, Cotabato,polloc Harbor, W Mindanao, Philippines
- June 14, 1978, Mindanao Island, Philippines
- August 17, 1976, Mindanao, Philippines
- September 23, 2017, Lanao del Sur Province, Mindanao, Philippines
More
Significant earthquakes of 1885The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 2353.