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

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

Under land 20 kilometer from Cabanatuan City in The Philippines, a significant MAG-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.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The Philippines, 20 kilometer (12 mi) west-southwest 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:	20 km WSW of Cabanatuan City, Central Luzon, The Philippines. Coordinates 15°23'46"N 120°48'21"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.

An estimated 171,100 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 53 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is 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 . San Francisco in Central Luzon, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 6 kilometer (4 mi) northwest of San Francisco. The intensity of shaking and damage in San Francisco is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Quezon City is located 87 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Manila is located 90 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Caloocan City is located 85 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably 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

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured 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 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

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. At a distance of 92 km (57 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 3

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.8

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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 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 182 km (113 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 02/12/24 21:28 (). 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.

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

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