August 15, 1897 Earthquake: Ilocos Sur, Luzon, Philippines
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Ilocos Sur, Luzon, Philippines on August 15, 1897 at 12:18 UTC, 33 km below the surface.
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
- August 15, 1897
- Time
- 12:18 UTC
- Place
- Ilocos Sur, Luzon, Philippines
- Magnitude
- 7.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 18.000° N, 120.000° E
- Country
- Philippines
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- 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.
1897, Aug 15, 12:18 UTC, 18 N, 120 E, shallow depth, magnitude 7.9. (reference #88)
1897, Aug 15, 12 UTC, 18 N, 120 E, shallow depth, magnitude 7.9. (reference #1006)
1897, Aug 15, 20:17 local time. Intensity VIII at Ilocos Sur. Destructive earthquake with epicentral area of 50 kilometers in length and 20 kilometers in width. The towns which suffered most were those between Candon and Vigan. (reference #1072)
1897, Aug 15, 12:17 UTC. Ilocos Sur. Intensity II which corresponds to buildings may be unroofed or shattered and some may fall, the ground may be badly cracked in places and small landslips occur. (reference #1055)
1897, Aug 15, 20:21 local time, damaged several houses at Vigan. (reference #1187)
1897, Aug 15. Intensity VIII at Ilocos Sur. (reference #1058)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 17, 1983, Luzon, Philippines
- July 27, 2022, Abra, Luzon, Philippines
- April 24, 1985, Benguet Province, Baguio, Luzon, Philippines
- March 16, 1892, Abra,pangasinan,union, Luzon, Philippines
- May 25, 1907, Tuguegarao,laoag,n Ilocos, N Luzon, Philippines
- March 19, 1931, Laoag,bacarra,vigan,batac, Luzon, Philippines
- November 18, 1915, W. Luzon Island, Philippines
- December 28, 1866, Laoag, N Luzon, Philippines
- October 25, 2022, Abra, Luzon, Philippines
- February 14, 1934, Luzon, Philippines
- June 24, 1988, Laoag, Luzon, Philippines
- August 3, 1874, Lepanto-Bontoc, Philippines
- 1744, W. Luzon Island, Philippines
- January 14, 1721, Cagayan Valley, NE Luzon, Philippines
- November 30, 1619, Ilocos Prov,zagaian Prov, N Luzon, Philippines
More
Significant earthquakes of 1897The 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 2515.