July 12, 1931 Earthquake: Masbate, Philippines

1931 July 12 16:45.4, 12.4 N 123.8 E (1931, July 13). Several slight shocks felt on the Island of Masbate, Central Philippines. (reference #45)

1931-07-12 16:45:29.41 UTC, 12.71 N 123.889 E, magnitude 6.47 Mw (reference #10476, v.11)

This quake occurred at 12:45 AM on July 13, 1931. Its epicenter was located by Gutenberg and Richter (1954) in the northern part of Samar Island. The nearest towns to the epicenter are Silvino Lobos (~ 12km), Mondragon (~ 14 km) and San Roque (~ 15 km). No damage reports were received from these towns. The intensity reports were mainly from the islands of Masbate and Ticao islands. In Ticao Island, it caused some artesian wells to dry up while old ones resumed flow. People onboard a boat 2 1/2 hours away from the island were strongly jolted. Before the boat’s captain realized it was an earthquake, he thought he ran into a reef or a shoal. People living at the eastern side of Ticao went to the highlands thinking there would be a tsunami. In Masbate, the public market and the two wharves were damaged. Breakable items inside stores were broken. Cracks were noticed in two street roads. In the town of Uson, pieces of furniture inside houses overturned. People were so frightened that they evacuated by themselves. They camped in open spaces and stayed there till the next day (SEASEE, 1985). (reference #10958)