Significant M5.7 Earthquake struck on Monday Morning in the Philippine Sea near Catarman (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 19th, 2024. Last updated September 18th, 2024.

A significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 25 kilometer from Catarman, The Philippines around noon of Monday August 19th, 2024. Roughly 12 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 22 kilometers (13 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 25 kilometer north-northeast of Catarman in Eastern Visayas. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 41 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 19, 2024 11:39AM (Manila Time) - Aug 19, 2024 03:39 Universal Time.
Location:	25 km NNE of Catarman, Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. Coordinates 12°42'26"N 124°43'51"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	41 km (25 mi) A quite 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

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One person injured at Pambujan. At least six buildings destroyed and 38 damaged in Northern Samar.

Based on scientific estimates by the 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 12 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 12 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.

An estimated 93,970 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 9 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 Catarman in Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. Catarman is located 25 kilometer (16 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Catarman is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Cebu City is located 281 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Bacolod City is located 298 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Legaspi is located 118 km to the west-northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely 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 10 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 10 people have reported shaking in 10 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:

• Basud (Sorsogon, Sorsogon), Bicol, Philippines: 1 person.
• Bulan, Bicol, Philippines: 1 person.
• Tabaco, Bicol, Philippines: 1 person.
• Calero, Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• La Paz, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• MacArthur, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• Palo, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• Pawing, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• San Antonio (Basey, Samar), Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• Catarman, Northern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. At a distance of 4 km (2.4 mi) northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 5 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 3.1

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 4th, 2023, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 144 km (89 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on August 18th, 2020.

In total, 9 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 year.

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 18/09/24 01:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000n7v7
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240819_0000026
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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