Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck on Friday Evening in the Philippine Sea near Tacloban (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 3rd, 2024. Last updated May 17th, 2024.

A shallow and significant M5.7 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 53 kilometer from Tacloban, The Philippines in the evening of Friday May 3rd, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 14 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 29 kilometers (18 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 53 kilometer south-east of Tacloban in Eastern Visayas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 8 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 3, 2024 06:16PM (Manila Time) - May 3, 2024 10:16 Universal Time.
Location:	53 km SE of Tacloban, Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. Coordinates 10°51'51"N 125°17'44"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 45 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth:	8 km (5 mi) A very shallow 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 14 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 14 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 189,000 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 10 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of The Philippines .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Abuyog in Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. Abuyog is located 34 kilometer (21 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Abuyog is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Cebu City is located 165 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Tacloban is located 53 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Panalanoy is located 53 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

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 V.

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 13 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 13 people have reported shaking in 11 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:

• Purok, Caraga, Philippines: 2 people.
• Consolacion, Central Visayas, Philippines: 2 people.
• Butuan, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Mandawa, Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• Minglanilla, Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• Daram, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• Javier, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• La Paz, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• San Antonio (Basey, Samar), Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• Santa Fe (Matalom, Leyte), Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.

14 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 14 smaller aftershocks. A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 4 hrs later 21 km (13 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 4 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 day earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.9

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 February 10th, 2024, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 244 km (152 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 2nd, 2023.

In total, 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 6 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 17/05/24 10:58 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000mvya
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240503_0000152
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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