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 November 21st, 2024.

In the Philippine Sea 89 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 5.9 million people.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 54 kilometers (34 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 89 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:	89 km NE of Virac, Bicol, The Philippines. Coordinates 14°10'25"N 124°47'34"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 5.9 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 5.9 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 V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 30 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 4.9 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of The Philippines .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
150	II	Very weak	None
4,918,000	III	Weak	Probably none
964,200	IV	Light	Likely none
30	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

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 89 kilometer (55 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. Antipolo is located 398 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Legaspi is located 162 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Naga is located 185 km to the west-southwest 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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
89 km (55 mi) SW from epicenter	Virac Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
144 km (89 mi) SW from epicenter	Tiwi Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
146 km (91 mi) SW from epicenter	Tabaco Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
148 km (92 mi) SW from epicenter	Malilipot Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
150 km (93 mi) WSW from epicenter	Goa Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
159 km (99 mi) SSW from epicenter	Sorsogon Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
161 km (100 mi) SW from epicenter	Tagas Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
161 km (100 mi) WSW from epicenter	Buhi Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
162 km (101 mi) SW from epicenter	Legaspi Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
162 km (101 mi) SW from epicenter	San Jose Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
170 km (106 mi) WSW from epicenter	Iriga City Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
172 km (107 mi) SW from epicenter	Polangui Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
174 km (108 mi) WSW from epicenter	Baao Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
175 km (109 mi) WSW from epicenter	Nabua Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
176 km (109 mi) SW from epicenter	Libon Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
179 km (111 mi) WSW from epicenter	Calabanga Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
179 km (111 mi) WSW from epicenter	Bato Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
180 km (112 mi) S from epicenter	Laoang Eastern Visayas, The Philippines.	III Weak
182 km (113 mi) WSW from epicenter	Magarao Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
183 km (114 mi) SSW from epicenter	Irosin Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
185 km (115 mi) WSW from epicenter	Naga Bicol, The Philippines.	IV Light
187 km (116 mi) S from epicenter	Catarman Eastern Visayas, The Philippines.	III Weak
192 km (119 mi) W from epicenter	Mercedes Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
194 km (121 mi) SSW from epicenter	Bulan Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
198 km (123 mi) W from epicenter	Daet Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
212 km (132 mi) W from epicenter	Labo Bicol, The Philippines.
227 km (141 mi) W from epicenter	Jose Pañganiban Bicol, The Philippines.
235 km (146 mi) S from epicenter	Calbayog City Eastern Visayas, The Philippines.
237 km (147 mi) SSW from epicenter	Masbate Bicol, The Philippines.	III Weak
267 km (166 mi) S from epicenter	Catbalogan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines.
274 km (170 mi) WSW from epicenter	Catanauan Calabarzon, The Philippines.
326 km (203 mi) S from epicenter	Panalanoy Eastern Visayas, The Philippines.
327 km (203 mi) S from epicenter	Tacloban Eastern Visayas, The Philippines.
344 km (214 mi) W from epicenter	Lucena Calabarzon, The Philippines.
353 km (219 mi) S from epicenter	Ormoc Eastern Visayas, The Philippines.
357 km (222 mi) SSW from epicenter	Bogo Central Visayas, The Philippines.
363 km (226 mi) SW from epicenter	Roxas City Western Visayas, The Philippines.
364 km (226 mi) W from epicenter	Santa Cruz Calabarzon, The Philippines.
374 km (232 mi) W from epicenter	San Pablo Calabarzon, The Philippines.
380 km (236 mi) SW from epicenter	Kalibo (poblacion) Western Visayas, The Philippines.
383 km (238 mi) W from epicenter	Los Baños Calabarzon, The Philippines.
389 km (242 mi) W from epicenter	Binangonan Calabarzon, The Philippines.
391 km (243 mi) W from epicenter	Calamba Calabarzon, The Philippines.
392 km (244 mi) W from epicenter	Lipa City Calabarzon, The Philippines.
392 km (244 mi) W from epicenter	Rodriguez Calabarzon, The Philippines.
394 km (245 mi) SSW from epicenter	Cadiz Western Visayas, The Philippines.
395 km (245 mi) W from epicenter	Cabuyao Calabarzon, The Philippines.
397 km (247 mi) W from epicenter	Santa Rosa Calabarzon, The Philippines.
397 km (247 mi) W from epicenter	Taytay Calabarzon, The Philippines.
398 km (247 mi) W from epicenter	Antipolo Calabarzon, The Philippines.
398 km (247 mi) W from epicenter	Cainta Calabarzon, The Philippines.
399 km (248 mi) W from epicenter	San Mateo Calabarzon, The Philippines.
399 km (248 mi) WSW from epicenter	Calapan Mimaropa, The Philippines.

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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

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 96 km (60 mi) northwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.9	Oct 2, 2024 05:19AM (Manila Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.0	2 hrs later Oct 2, 2024 07:24AM (Manila Time)	10 km (6 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	19 hrs later Oct 2, 2024 11:51PM (Manila Time)	96 km (60 mi) NW from Main Shock.

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

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

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 94 km (59 mi) further east-southeast. 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

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.9. 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 21/11/24 04:18 (). 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.