A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 60 kilometer from Cebu City, The Philippines in the afternoon of Sunday September 29th, 2024. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 38 kilometers (23 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 60 kilometer east-northeast of Cebu City in Central Visayas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 29, 2024 02:53PM (Manila Time) - Sep 29, 2024 06:53 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 60 km ENE of Cebu City, Central Visayas, The Philippines. Coordinates 10°32'14"N 124°23'29"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.075 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow 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 . Located 40 kilometer (25 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Danao (Central Visayas, The Philippines) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Cebu City is located 60 km to the west-southwest. Lapu-Lapu City is located 55 km to the west-southwest. Mandaue City is located 57 km to the west-southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 40 km (25 mi) W from epicenter |
Danao Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 41 km (25 mi) W from epicenter |
Cogan Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 43 km (27 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Compostela Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 46 km (29 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Liloan Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 47 km (29 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Baybay Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 51 km (32 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Consolacion Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 55 km (34 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Lapu-Lapu City Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 57 km (35 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Mandaue City Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 57 km (35 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ormoc Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 58 km (36 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Apas Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 59 km (37 mi) SW from epicenter |
Cordova Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 60 km (37 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Cebu City Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 67 km (42 mi) SE from epicenter |
Maasin Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 68 km (42 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Talisay Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 71 km (44 mi) NW from epicenter |
Bogo Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 72 km (45 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Abuyog Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 73 km (45 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Minglanilla Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 74 km (46 mi) W from epicenter |
Balamban Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 78 km (48 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Naga Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 84 km (52 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Toledo Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 86 km (53 mi) WSW from epicenter |
San Fernando Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 90 km (56 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Carigara Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 93 km (58 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tanauan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 93 km (58 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Pinamungahan Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 95 km (59 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Carcar Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 95 km (59 mi) NE from epicenter |
Palo Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 98 km (61 mi) S from epicenter |
Jagna Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 103 km (64 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Escalante Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 103 km (64 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tacloban Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 104 km (65 mi) NE from epicenter |
Panalanoy Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 109 km (68 mi) W from epicenter |
Ualog Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 114 km (71 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Tagbilaran City Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 115 km (71 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Sagay Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 129 km (80 mi) W from epicenter |
Canlaon Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 129 km (80 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Cadiz Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 147 km (91 mi) SE from epicenter |
Surigao Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 148 km (92 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Catbalogan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 150 km (93 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Victorias Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 153 km (95 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tinongan Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 155 km (96 mi) W from epicenter |
Mansilingan Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 156 km (97 mi) W from epicenter |
Binonga Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 157 km (98 mi) W from epicenter |
Talisay Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 158 km (98 mi) W from epicenter |
Bacolod City Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 170 km (106 mi) W from epicenter |
Bago City Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 176 km (109 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tanjay Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 181 km (112 mi) SW from epicenter |
Dumaguete Central Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 183 km (114 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kabankalan Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 200 km (124 mi) W from epicenter |
Iloilo Western Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 215 km (134 mi) SE from epicenter |
Libertad Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 217 km (135 mi) SE from epicenter |
Butuan Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 230 km (143 mi) S from epicenter |
Cagayan de Oro Northern Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 235 km (146 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Dapitan Zamboanga Peninsula, The Philippines. |
| 254 km (158 mi) S from epicenter |
Iligan City Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 282 km (175 mi) S from epicenter |
Marawi City Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 298 km (185 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Legaspi Bicol, The Philippines. |
Shaking reported by 42 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 42 people have reported shaking in 19 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:
- Cebu, Central Visayas, Philippines: 9 people.
- Mandaue, Central Visayas, Philippines: 5 people.
- Consolacion, Central Visayas, Philippines: 4 people.
- Calero, Central Visayas, Philippines: 4 people.
- Lapu-Lapu, Central Visayas, Philippines: 4 people.
- Mandawa, Central Visayas, Philippines: 3 people.
- Buagsong, Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
- Baybay, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
- Tangke (Naga, Cebu), Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
- Talisay (Talisay, Cebu), Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. Just 4 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.1 was detected 7 km (4 mi) south-southeast of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Sep 29, 2024 02:53PM (Manila Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
4 hrs later Sep 29, 2024 07:13PM (Manila Time) | 7 km (4 mi) SSE 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 August 19th, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 244 km (152 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on December 3rd, 2023.
In total, 80 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 2 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
| 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 29/09/24 14:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nh2p
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240929_0000057
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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