In the afternoon of Friday September 13th, 2024, a significant MAG-5.1 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 230 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 168 kilometers (104 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 230 kilometer south-east of General Santos in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 79 km.
| Date and Time: | Sep 13, 2024 02:33PM (Manila Time) - Sep 13, 2024 06:33 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 230 km SE of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 4°31'58"N 126°30'25"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 73 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.067 . |
| Depth: | 79 km (49 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
This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Glan in Soccsksargen, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 204 kilometer (127 mi) south-east of Glan.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Davao is located 299 km to the north-northwest. General Santos is located 230 km to the northwest. Koronadal is located 286 km to the northwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 204 km (127 mi) NW from epicenter |
Glan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 209 km (130 mi) NW from epicenter |
Malapatan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 220 km (137 mi) NW from epicenter |
Alabel Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 230 km (143 mi) NW from epicenter |
General Santos Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Malita Davao, The Philippines. |
| 237 km (147 mi) NW from epicenter |
Maluñgun Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 247 km (153 mi) NW from epicenter |
Polomolok Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 252 km (157 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Santa Maria Davao, The Philippines. |
| 264 km (164 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tupi Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 269 km (167 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Lupon Davao, The Philippines. |
| 271 km (168 mi) N from epicenter |
Mati Davao, The Philippines. |
| 274 km (170 mi) NW from epicenter |
Lake Sebu Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 277 km (172 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Digos Davao, The Philippines. |
| 283 km (176 mi) NW from epicenter |
Surallah Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 284 km (176 mi) NW from epicenter |
Bañga Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 286 km (178 mi) NW from epicenter |
Koronadal Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 288 km (179 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Magsaysay Davao, The Philippines. |
| 289 km (180 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Bansalan Davao, The Philippines. |
| 296 km (184 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Samal Davao, The Philippines. |
| 298 km (185 mi) N from epicenter |
Manay Davao, The Philippines. |
| 299 km (186 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Davao Davao, The Philippines. |
3 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 3 smaller aftershocks. Just 11 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.7 was detected 55 km (34 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.3 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
2 days earlier Sep 11, 2024 03:59PM (Manila Time) | 53 km (33 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
2 days earlier Sep 11, 2024 08:35PM (Manila Time) | 94 km (58 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Sep 13, 2024 02:33PM (Manila Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
11 hrs later Sep 14, 2024 01:31AM (Manila Time) | 55 km (34 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
16 hrs later Sep 14, 2024 06:19AM (Manila Time) | 74 km (46 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
2 days later Sep 15, 2024 08:08PM (Manila Time) | 69 km (43 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
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.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 9th, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 33 km (20 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on August 11th, 2021.
In total, 223 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 16 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 79 km (49 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 20/09/24 06:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000ndg9
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240913_0000061
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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