Catalogue of Violent and Destructive Earthquakes in the Philippines | Page 5

150 of the finest residences which, | | |as one author puts it, "in other cities | | |would have been considerable palaces." The | | |rest of the private houses were damaged | | |to so great an extent that the majority | | |had to be demolished. The number of | | |persons killed exceeded 600 and the total | | |of killed and injured is stated to have | | |been 3,000. | | | | | |Outside of Manila there was a general | | |destruction of villas and other buildings | | |which had been erected on both banks of | | |the Pasig River. Throughout the | | |neighboring provinces the masonry | | |structures built by the missionaries | | |suffered the same fate as those in Manila. | | |From the farthest provinces in the north | | |were reported great alterations of the | | |surface with almost complete disappearance | | |of some native villages, changes in the | | |courses of rivers, subsidences of plains, | | |eruptions of sand, etc. All the writers of | | |the time qualify this disturbance as the | | |most disastrous earthquake not only in | | |Luzon, but likewise in Mindoro, | | |Marinduque, and the other islands south of | | |Luzon. On the other hand, the provinces of | | |Camarines and Albay appear to have | | |suffered little or nothing. | | | 13 |1645 XII 5 23 -- |VIII |The earthquake of November 30 was followed | | |by almost daily repetitions and countless | | |aftershocks, one of which, on December 5, | | |was of such intensity as to finish the | | |wrecking of many buildings, "leaving [as a | | |chronicler writes] the city in such | | |condition that it was impossible to walk | | |through it." Aftershocks of variable force | | |continued to be very frequent throughout | | |an entire year; that is, until the end of | | |1646. | | | ----+--------------------+-----+------------------------------------------ No. | Date. |Intensity. | | | Epicenter and effects. ----+--------------------+-----+------------------------------------------ | Y. M. d. h. m. | | 14 |1646 III -- -- -- | VI |According to several chroniclers, the | | |aforementioned aftershocks were more were | | |more frequent and of greater intensity | | |during the month of March, some of them | | |assuming a violent character. | | | 15 |1648 -- -- -- -- |VIII |Southern Luzon. Very violent earthquake, | | |damaging many buildings (Von Hoff). | | | 16 |1653 V 1 -- -- | VI |Earthquake in Manila and surrounding | | |provinces. | | | 17 |1658 VIII 20 17 -- | IX |Destructive earthquake. Some historians | | |maintain that it was as severe as that of | | |1645; but it caused fewer ruins, partly on | | |account of its short duration, partly | | |because it found buildings of less height | | |and greater power or resistance than those | | |erected before 1645. Nevertheless it | | |destroyed the monastery of Santa Clara and | | |did great damage to the churches and | | |monasteries of the Dominicans and | | |Recollects, likewise to the archiepiscopal | | |palace, the Jesuit College, and a | | |considerable number of private buildings. | | |The epicentral region appears to have | | |included only the southern part of Luzon. | | | 18 |1665 VI 19 -- -- |VIII |Destructive in Manila and adjacent | | |provinces. In the ruins of numerous houses | | |19 persons perished and many more were | | |injured. Of public buildings only the | | |Jesuit Church is mentioned as having | | |suffered to some extent. | | | 19 |1675 II -- -- -- |VIII |Destructive in northern Mindoro and | | |Batangas Province. Mention is made of | | |extensive landslides, the opening of many | | |fissures and the subsidence of large | | |tracts on the beach of the northeast | | |coast of Mindoro. The repetitions were many | | |and severe. | | | 20 |1683 VIII 24 -- -- | VII |Damaged some buildings in Manila. | | | 21 |1687 II -- -- -- | VI |Several violent earthquakes, which, | | |however, caused no notable damages. | | | 22 |1699 -- -- -- -- | VII |Many chroniclers assure us that during | | |this year and the following destructive | | |earthquakes visited Manila; but there is | | |great confusion as to the days and months | | |in which they occurred. | | | 23 |1716 IX 24 -- -- | VII |Vicinity of