In the Philippine Sea 199 kilometer from General Santos, The Philippines, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake occurred just after midnight of Wednesday December 4th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 139 kilometers (86 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 199 kilometer south-east of General Santos in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 13 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 4, 2024 12:09AM (Manila Time) - Dec 3, 2024 16:09 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 199 km SE of General Santos, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 4°49'9"N 126°24'34"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 . |
| Depth: | 13 km (8 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 . Glan in Soccsksargen, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 174 kilometer (108 mi) south-east of Glan.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Davao is located 266 km to the north-northwest. General Santos is located 199 km to the northwest. Magugpo Poblacion is located 300 km to the north-northwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 174 km (108 mi) NW from epicenter |
Glan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 178 km (111 mi) NW from epicenter |
Malapatan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 189 km (117 mi) NW from epicenter |
Alabel Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 198 km (123 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Malita Davao, The Philippines. |
| 199 km (124 mi) NW from epicenter |
General Santos Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 205 km (127 mi) NW from epicenter |
Maluñgun Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 216 km (134 mi) NW from epicenter |
Polomolok Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 219 km (136 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Santa Maria Davao, The Philippines. |
| 233 km (145 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tupi Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 235 km (146 mi) N from epicenter |
Lupon Davao, The Philippines. |
| 238 km (148 mi) N from epicenter |
Mati Davao, The Philippines. |
| 244 km (152 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Digos Davao, The Philippines. |
| 245 km (152 mi) NW from epicenter |
Lake Sebu Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 253 km (157 mi) NW from epicenter |
Surallah Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 254 km (158 mi) NW from epicenter |
Bañga Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 255 km (158 mi) NW from epicenter |
Koronadal Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 256 km (159 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Bansalan Davao, The Philippines. |
| 256 km (159 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Magsaysay Davao, The Philippines. |
| 262 km (163 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Samal Davao, The Philippines. |
| 266 km (165 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Davao Davao, The Philippines. |
| 267 km (166 mi) N from epicenter |
Manay Davao, The Philippines. |
| 276 km (171 mi) NW from epicenter |
Buluan Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines. |
| 283 km (176 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tacurong Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 284 km (176 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kidapawan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 284 km (176 mi) NW from epicenter |
Isulan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 288 km (179 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Panabo Davao, The Philippines. |
| 293 km (182 mi) NW from epicenter |
Laguilayan Soccsksargen, The Philippines. |
| 297 km (185 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Cabayangan Davao, The Philippines. |
| 300 km (186 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Magugpo Poblacion Davao, The Philippines. |
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
2 days earlier Dec 2, 2024 02:47AM (Manila Time) | 94 km (58 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Dec 2, 2024 01:39PM (Manila Time) | 46 km (28 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Dec 4, 2024 12:09AM (Manila Time) | - |
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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 June 15th, 2024, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 205 km (128 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on August 11th, 2021.
In total, 151 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 24 days.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 13 km (8 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 04/12/24 07:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nvnb
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241203_0000182
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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