Shallow M5.9 Earthquake struck on Wednesday Night in the Philippine Sea near Virac (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 1st, 2024. Last updated October 21st, 2024.

In the Philippine Sea 96 kilometer from Virac, The Philippines, a shallow and significant M5.9 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Wednesday October 2nd, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 5.5 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 62 kilometers (38 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 96 kilometer north-east of Virac in Bicol. 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:	Oct 2, 2024 05:19AM (Manila Time) - Oct 1, 2024 21:19 Universal Time.
Location:	96 km NE of Virac, Bicol, The Philippines. Coordinates 14°12'40"N 124°51'12"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 46 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth:	10 km (6 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 5.5 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 5.5 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 728,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 4.8 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be 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 . Virac in Bicol, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 96 kilometer (60 mi) north-east of Virac. The intensity of shaking and damage in Virac is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Legaspi is located 169 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Naga is located 192 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Calamba is located 398 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 IV.

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 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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:

• Tabaco, Bicol, Philippines: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 19 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.7 was detected 99 km (61 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.

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.

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 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 91 km (57 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on August 18th, 2020.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.9 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 years.

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 21/10/24 23:18 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nhk8
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241001_0000201
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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