Deep in the night of Friday December 20th, 2024, a shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 193 kilometer from Tacloban, The Philippines.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 124 kilometers (77 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 193 kilometer east-northeast of Tacloban in Eastern Visayas. 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: | Dec 20, 2024 03:22AM (Manila Time) - Dec 19, 2024 19:22 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 193 km ENE of Tacloban, Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. Coordinates 11°56'7"N 126°37'52"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 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 . Borongan in Eastern Visayas, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 136 kilometer (85 mi) east-northeast of Borongan.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Tacloban is located 193 km to the west-southwest. Panalanoy is located 193 km to the west-southwest. Ormoc is located 244 km to the west-southwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 136 km (85 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Borongan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 189 km (117 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Laoang Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 191 km (119 mi) W from epicenter |
Catbalogan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 193 km (120 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tacloban Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 193 km (120 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Panalanoy Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 199 km (124 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Palo Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 199 km (124 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tanauan Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 221 km (137 mi) SW from epicenter |
Abuyog Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 222 km (138 mi) W from epicenter |
Calbayog City Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 224 km (139 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Carigara Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 226 km (140 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Catarman Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 244 km (152 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ormoc Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 244 km (152 mi) SW from epicenter |
Baybay Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 269 km (167 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Surigao Caraga, The Philippines. |
| 280 km (174 mi) SW from epicenter |
Maasin Eastern Visayas, The Philippines. |
| 295 km (183 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Irosin Bicol, The Philippines. |
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. A 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
3 days earlier Dec 17, 2024 03:55AM (Manila Time) | 88 km (55 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 3.4 |
Dec 20, 2024 05:04AM (Manila Time) | - |
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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 19th, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 224 km (139 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on August 18th, 2020.
In total, 55 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 months.
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 5.1. 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 21/12/24 15:08 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000p04x
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241219_0000249
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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