December 28, 1903 Earthquake: Davao Gulf, Philippines
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Davao Gulf, Philippines on December 28, 1903 at 02:56 UTC, 60 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
- December 28, 1903
- Time
- 02:56 UTC
- Place
- Davao Gulf, Philippines
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 60 km (37 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 7.000° N, 126.000° E
- Country
- Philippines
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
December 28, 1903, 10:56 local time, intensity VIII. Destructive earthquake in the region east of Davao Gulf which
damaged many houses in Mati, Caraga, Sigaboy, etc. Large fissures opened and several displacements occurred in the limestone layers of the Pacific coast near Caraga. A few aftershocks were felt on the 29th and 30th. (reference #1072)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 14, 1913, Sangihe Island, Indonesia
- June 7, 2026, S, Indonesia, Mindanao, Philippines
- December 19, 1928, Cotabato,n Coast of Illana Bay, Philippines
- December 15, 2019, Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
- October 29, 2019, Cotabato, Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
- November 17, 2023, Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
- October 10, 2025, Mindanao, Philippines
- October 31, 2019, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines
- October 16, 2019, Cotabato, Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
- January 31, 1917, Glan,glan Padidu,tuyan, S Mindanao, Philippines
- November 4, 1870, Davao,blanco, Mindanao, Philippines
- December 2, 2023, E, Mindanao, Philippines
- December 15, 1989, Cotabato, Davao, Mindanao, Philippines
- July 9, 2019, Makilala, Tulunan, Mindanao, Philippines
- August 11, 2021, Mindanao, Philippines
More
Significant earthquakes of 1903The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1903Recent 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 2665.