Significant M5.5 Earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea near Butuan (The Philippines) on Saturday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 27th, 2024. Last updated January 24th, 2025.

A significant Magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 95 kilometer from Butuan, The Philippines in the night of Saturday December 28th, 2024. Roughly 10 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of The Philippines (12 mi offshore), 95 kilometer north-east of Butuan in Caraga. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 81 km.

Date and Time:	Dec 28, 2024 02:43AM (Manila Time) - Dec 27, 2024 18:43 Universal Time.
Location:	95 km NE of Butuan, Caraga, The Philippines. Coordinates 9°33'24"N 126°8'53"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	81 km (51 mi) An intermediate 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 10 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 10 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 IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 2,179,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 7.3 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 Tandag in Caraga, The Philippines. Tandag is located 53 kilometer (33 mi) north of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Tandag is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Davao is located 282 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Butuan is located 95 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Cebu City is located 261 km to the west-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 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 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 19 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 19 people have reported shaking in 11 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:

• Purok, Caraga, Philippines: 7 people.
• Butuan, Caraga, Philippines: 3 people.
• Cabadbaran, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Luna, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Maygatasan, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Pilar, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Union, Caraga, Philippines: 1 person.
• Marawi, Central Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Cebu, Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
• Baras, Eastern Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4 was detected 64 km (39 mi) northwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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.

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 3rd, 2024, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 168 km (105 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on December 2nd, 2023.

In total, 63 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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

Sources

Last updated 24/01/25 22:08 (). 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 us6000pfz1
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241227_0000240
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: