Significant earthquakes of 1923

March 2, 1923 Earthquake: Mindanao Island, Philippines

March 2, 1923 · M7.2

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Mindanao Island, Philippines on March 2, 1923 at 16:48:52 UTC, 22 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.

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
March 2, 1923
Time
16:48:52 UTC
Place
Mindanao Island, Philippines
Magnitude
7.2 (Ms)
Focal depth
22 km (14 mi)
Intensity
VII, very strong shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
Epicenter
6.500° N, 124.000° E
Region
Central and South Pacific

The toll

The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Reference #414:

1923, March 3 (mistakenly February 23), 00:49 [Local Time, 16:48:52 UTC]. There was a strong earthquake in the province of Cotabato, especially on its southern and southwestern shores. The intensity was about 5 degrees (VI Rossi-Forel) all over Mindanao Island. It was felt on the south of the islands of Cebu, Bohol and Negros. Unusual sea waves were noticed on the southern and southwestern shores of the province of Cotabato and in the Mindanao River (Rio Grande) at Cotabato.

Reference #130:

1923, March 2, 16:48:52 UTC, 6.5 N, 124 E, magnitude 7.2, depth 22 km.

Reference #1187:

1923, March 3, 12:51 a.m., S Mindanao 4.5 N, 125 E. Mindanao - extensive earthquake of intensity VII. Cotabato - the shock was of a violent nature. Extraordinary sea waves were noticed near the coasts up the Rio Grande at Cotabato, some distance from its mouth. It was also perceptible in the southern portions of Cebu, Bohol and Negros Islands about 500 kms distant from the origin.

Reference #1058:

1923, March 2. Intensity VII. Cotabato. Violent, tidal wave.

Sources NCEI cites

The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.

  1. #1187 Garcia, L.C., R.G. Valenzuela, and E.P. Arnold (1985). Southeast Asia Association of Seismology, Series on Seismology, vol. IV - Philippines, U.S. Geological Survey.
  2. #414 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1974). A catalogue of tsunamis on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 173-1968. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 439 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5077, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 447 p.]
  3. #1058 Sevilla, Valenzuela and Bellosiool (1965). Seismicity of the Philippines. Individual Studies by Participants to the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering, Tokyo, Japan, December 1965, vol. 2, Part 1, p. 34-63.
  4. #130 Gutenberg, B. and C.F. Richter (1965). Seismicity of the earth and associated phenomena. Princeton University Press, 1954 (second edition); Hafner Publishing Company, New York and London (facsimile edition), 310 p.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1923The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1923Recent 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 6281.