Historedia
Asia PacificEvent

Surigao earthquake strikes northern Mindanao

When
1879
Where
northeastern tip of Mindanao; Surigao segment of the Philippine Fault System
Episodes
2

The Mw 7.4 Surigao earthquake struck northern Mindanao on June 30, 1879, causing extensive damage without reported casualties. The event ruptured approximately 100 kilometers of the Philippine Fault System, resulting in measurable ground subsidence and a fault scarp associated with the surface rupture.

Episodes

  1. June 30, 1879 · northeastern tip of MindanaoSurigao Earthquake of 1879

    Mw 7.4 earthquake struck northern Mindanao on June 30, 1879, causing extensive damage but no casualties.

  2. June 30, 1879 · Surigao segment of the Philippine Fault SystemPhilippine Fault System Rupture

    The earthquake ruptured approximately 100 kilometers of the Philippine Fault System along the Surigao segment.

Background and detail

Background. The earthquake occurred on June 30, 1879, at 02:55 local time on the northeastern tip of Mindanao. With a moment magnitude of 7.4, the epicenter was located just south of Lake Mainit. The event caused extensive damage in the region, though no casualties were reported.

Geological Impact. The earthquake ruptured approximately 100 kilometers of the Philippine Fault System along the Surigao segment. A fault scarp has been associated with the 1879 surface rupture, an interpretive geological finding reported in the source. Spanish geologist Jose Centeno, appointed by the Governor-General of the Philippines, measured up to 50 cm of ground subsidence following the event.

Damage Assessment. Extensive damage occurred in northern Mindanao as a result of the earthquake. Despite the significant structural impact, there were no reports of casualties, an absence of reports rather than a confirmed absence of deaths.

People involved

  • Jose Centeno · Spanish geologist appointed by the Governor-General of the Philippines (new person candidate; no person UUID attached)

Sources

  1. 1879 Surigao earthquake Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-30

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.