June 24, 1988 Earthquake: Laoag, Luzon, Philippines
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Laoag, Luzon, Philippines on June 24, 1988 at 02:06:26 UTC, 53 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
- June 24, 1988
- Time
- 02:06:26 UTC
- Place
- Laoag, Luzon, Philippines
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 53 km (33 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 18.606° N, 121.013° E
- Country
- Philippines
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with its tsunami and other effects
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.
Some damage reported in the Laoag area.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 17, 1983, Luzon, Philippines
- December 29, 1949, E, Luzon, Philippines
- July 27, 2022, Abra, Luzon, Philippines
- March 16, 1892, Abra,pangasinan,union, Luzon, Philippines
- December 28, 1866, Laoag, N Luzon, Philippines
- November 30, 1619, Ilocos Prov,zagaian Prov, N Luzon, Philippines
- September 14, 1627, Bangui, Cagayan, W. Luzon Island, Philippines
- January 14, 1721, Cagayan Valley, NE Luzon, Philippines
- January 4, 1641, Aparri, Luzon, Philippines
- March 19, 1931, Laoag,bacarra,vigan,batac, Luzon, Philippines
- October 25, 2022, Abra, Luzon, Philippines
- August 15, 1897, Ilocos Sur, Luzon, Philippines
- May 25, 1907, Tuguegarao,laoag,n Ilocos, N Luzon, Philippines
- November 18, 1915, W. Luzon Island, Philippines
- 1744, W. Luzon Island, Philippines
More
Significant earthquakes of 1988The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1988Recent 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 6474.