Significant M5.7 Earthquake struck on Thursday Night near Cabanatuan City in The Philippines.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 27th, 2024. Last updated January 2nd, 2025.

Under land 18 kilometer from Cabanatuan City in The Philippines, a significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Thursday November 28th, 2024. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 54 million people.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The Philippines, 18 kilometer (11 mi) west of Cabanatuan City in Central Luzon. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 182 km.

Date and Time:	Nov 28, 2024 05:58AM (Manila Time) - Nov 27, 2024 21:58 Universal Time.
Location:	18 km west of Cabanatuan City, Central Luzon, The Philippines. Coordinates 15°27'39"N 120°48'17"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 50 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	182 km (113 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. 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 54 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 54 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 729,800 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 52 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Aliaga in Central Luzon, The Philippines. Aliaga is located 6 kilometer (4 mi) southwest of the epicenter. Aliaga experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Quezon City is located 94 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Cabanatuan City is located 18 km to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Manila is located 97 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 4 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 4 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:

• Calibungan, Central Luzon, Philippines: 1 person.
• Mapalacsiao, Central Luzon, Philippines: 1 person.
• Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines: 1 person.
• Cainta, Southern Tagalog, Philippines: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. Just 23 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.5 was detected 23 km (15 mi) west of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 3 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.8

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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 June 15th, 2023, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 189 km (117 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on July 27th, 2022.

In total, 15 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 8 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 02/01/25 02:08 (). 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 us7000nul8
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241127_0000274
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: