On Tuesday Morning a Significant M5.9 Earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 336km from Davao (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 26th, 2023. Last updated November 24th, 2023.

In the Philippine Sea 336 kilometer from Davao, The Philippines, a significant M5.9 earthquake occurred in the morning of Tuesday September 26th, 2023. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 260 thousand people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 227 kilometers (141 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 336 kilometer south-east of Davao. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 94 km.

Date and Time:	Sep 26, 2023 09:39AM (Manila Time) - Sep 26, 2023 01:39 Universal Time.
Location:	336 km SE of Davao, The Philippines. Coordinates 4°42'39"N 127°30'19"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 60 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.04 .
Depth:	94 km (58 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 260 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 260 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 229,100 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Indonesia , around 230 thousand people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Roughly 30 thousand people were exposed to shaking in The Philippines .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Malapatan in Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Malapatan is located 282 kilometer (175 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Davao is located 336 km to the northwest. General Santos is located 302 km to the west-northwest. Magugpo Poblacion is located 358 km to the north-northwest.

A complete list of nearby places is included below.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within Philippines.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Buayan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Davao, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 2 people.
• Pangyan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

3 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 33 mins later 4 km (2.4 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 21st, 2023, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 222 km (138 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on August 11th, 2021.

In total, 29 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 4 months.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 24/11/23 08:18 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000ky3a
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230926_0000014
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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