A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea of .
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 83 km.
| Date and Time: | ( Time) - Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | In the Philippine Sea Coordinates 4°32'52"N 127°35'41"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 210 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.039 . |
| Depth: | 83 km (52 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Located () of the epicenter of this earthquake, (, ) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in is estimated to be around level 0 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (no shaking, no damage).
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 17 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.5
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
17 hrs earlier Oct 3, 2023 04:59 (Manila Time) | 83 km (51 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Oct 3, 2023 21:53 (Manila Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 September 26th, 2023, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 21 km (13 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on August 11th, 2021.
In total, 189 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 19 days.
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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 83 km (52 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 30/11/23 11:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000lchx
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231003_0000134
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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