August 16, 1976 Earthquake: S, Mindanao, Philippines

Name: August 16, 1976 Earthquake: S, Mindanao, Philippines
Start: 1976-08-16
Location: S, Mindanao, Philippines

August 16, 1976 · M8 · 8,000 deaths · $134 million

A magnitude 8 earthquake struck S, Mindanao, Philippines on August 16, 1976 at 16:11:07 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 8,000 people, counting the tsunami it caused.

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 16, 1976
Time: 16:11:07 UTC
Place: S, Mindanao, Philippines
Magnitude: 8 (Mw)
Focal depth: 33 km (21 mi)
Intensity: 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 6.292° N, 124.090° E
Country: Philippines

The toll

Deaths: 1,200; 8,000 with its tsunami and other effects
Injuries: 3,500; 10,000 with its tsunami and other effects
Damage: $134 million

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.

Early in the morning of August 17, 1976 Mindanao island in the Philippines was shaken by an earthquake at a magnitude of 8.0 with its epicenter in the Moro Gulf. It caused a destructive tsunami in the Celebes Sea causing devastation in settlements along the coast of Moro Gulf on Mindanao island and on the nearby Sulu Islands. The earthquake was felt on all of the central islands of the Philippines Archipelago and in the southern part of Luzon. As a result of the earthquake and tsunami over 8,000 persons were killed or missing. 10,000 were injured, and 90,000 were left homeless. (Reference #417)

August 16, 1976, 16:11:07.3 UTC, 6.262 N, 124.023 E, magnitude 6.4 mb, 7.9 MS, depth 33 km. 5,000 to 8,000 reported killed and 90,000 left homeless by earthquake and tsunami. Extensive damage along coastal areas of Moro Gulf. (reference #1053)

Tsunami waves were responsible for 85% of the deaths [3564] and 65% of the injuries [8256] in this disaster (see Table 2). Of those thought missing [1502], 95% were associated with the tsunami. (reference #3670)

8.1 Mw (reference #1314)

6,500 deaths, intensity VI. (reference #45)

6000 deaths, 6348 injuries, $134 million damage. (reference #1250)

1976, August 17. 3,564 deaths, $120 million damage. (reference #1231)

1976, August 17. 4,000 deaths, $120 million damage. (reference #1051)

1976, Aug 16, 16:11:11.86 UTC. 6.292 N, 124.09 E, depth 57.7 km, magnitude 8.0 Mw. (reference #9910)

1976, Aug 16, 16:11:08.07 UTC. 6.175 N, 124.047 E, depth 20 km, magnitude 7.96 Mw. (reference #10476)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1976 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1976 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 4739.