Significant M5.5 Earthquake struck on Monday Morning near Laoag in The Philippines.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 30th, 2024. Last updated January 2nd, 2025.

A significant M5.5 earthquake struck under land 39 kilometer from Laoag in The Philippines in the morning of Monday December 30th, 2024. Roughly 6 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The Philippines, 39 kilometer (24 mi) north-east of Laoag in Ilocos. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 30, 2024 10:56AM (Manila Time) - Dec 30, 2024 02:56 Universal Time.
Location:	39 km NE of Laoag, Ilocos, The Philippines. Coordinates 18°27'51"N 120°50'33"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 33 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 .
Depth:	34 km (21 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (12 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to 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 6 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 6 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.

An estimated 22,060 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.7 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of The Philippines .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
93,090	II	Very weak	None
3,672,000	III	Weak	Probably none
2,213,000	IV	Light	Likely none
22,060	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Laoag in Ilocos, The Philippines. Laoag is located 39 kilometer (24 mi) north-east of the epicenter. Laoag experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Laoag is located 39 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Baguio is located 229 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low). Tuguegarao is located 133 km to the south-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely 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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
39 km (24 mi) SW from epicenter	Laoag Ilocos, The Philippines.	IV Light
42 km (26 mi) SW from epicenter	San Nicolas Ilocos, The Philippines.	IV Light
54 km (34 mi) SSW from epicenter	Batac City Ilocos, The Philippines.	IV Light
85 km (53 mi) E from epicenter	Aparri Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	IV Light
110 km (68 mi) SSW from epicenter	Vigan Ilocos, The Philippines.	IV Light
127 km (79 mi) SE from epicenter	Solana Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	IV Light
128 km (80 mi) SSE from epicenter	Tabuk Cordillera, The Philippines.	IV Light
133 km (83 mi) SE from epicenter	Tuguegarao Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	IV Light
151 km (94 mi) SE from epicenter	Cabagan Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	III Weak
171 km (106 mi) SSE from epicenter	Roxas Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	III Weak
173 km (107 mi) SSW from epicenter	Santa Maria Ilocos, The Philippines.	III Weak
175 km (109 mi) SSW from epicenter	Tagudin Ilocos, The Philippines.	III Weak
178 km (111 mi) S from epicenter	Mankayan Cordillera, The Philippines.	III Weak
184 km (114 mi) SE from epicenter	Ilagan Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	III Weak
193 km (120 mi) SSE from epicenter	San Mateo Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	III Weak
201 km (125 mi) SSE from epicenter	Diadi Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	III Weak
201 km (125 mi) SSE from epicenter	Ramon Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	III Weak
208 km (129 mi) SSE from epicenter	Alicia Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	III Weak
211 km (131 mi) SSE from epicenter	Santiago Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.	III Weak
213 km (132 mi) SSW from epicenter	San Fernando Ilocos, The Philippines.
219 km (136 mi) S from epicenter	Solano Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.
221 km (137 mi) S from epicenter	Baggabag B Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.
222 km (138 mi) SSW from epicenter	Bauang Ilocos, The Philippines.
223 km (139 mi) S from epicenter	Bayombong Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.
225 km (140 mi) S from epicenter	La Trinidad Cordillera, The Philippines.
229 km (142 mi) S from epicenter	Baguio Cordillera, The Philippines.
233 km (145 mi) S from epicenter	Bambang Cagayan Valley, The Philippines.
234 km (145 mi) S from epicenter	Itogon Cordillera, The Philippines.
236 km (147 mi) SSW from epicenter	Aringay Ilocos, The Philippines.
267 km (166 mi) S from epicenter	Guiset East Ilocos, The Philippines.
270 km (168 mi) S from epicenter	Mangaldan Ilocos, The Philippines.
272 km (169 mi) S from epicenter	Manaoag Ilocos, The Philippines.
275 km (171 mi) S from epicenter	Dagupan Ilocos, The Philippines.
276 km (171 mi) SSW from epicenter	Agoo Ilocos, The Philippines.
277 km (172 mi) SSW from epicenter	Binmaley Ilocos, The Philippines.
278 km (173 mi) S from epicenter	Urdaneta Ilocos, The Philippines.
278 km (173 mi) S from epicenter	Calasiao Ilocos, The Philippines.
278 km (173 mi) S from epicenter	Santa Barbara Ilocos, The Philippines.
279 km (173 mi) SSW from epicenter	Lingayen Ilocos, The Philippines.
282 km (175 mi) SSW from epicenter	Domalanoan Ilocos, The Philippines.
298 km (185 mi) S from epicenter	Bayambang Ilocos, The Philippines.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. 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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 13 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 13 people have reported shaking in 12 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:

San Nicolas (San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte), Ilocos, Philippines: 2 people.
Tuguegarao, Cagayan Valley, Philippines: 1 person.
La Trinidad, Cordillera, Philippines: 1 person.
Tuding, Cordillera, Philippines: 1 person.
Badoc, Ilocos, Philippines: 1 person.
Bantay, Ilocos, Philippines: 1 person.
Batac, Ilocos, Philippines: 1 person.
Fuerte, Ilocos, Philippines: 1 person.
Laoag, Ilocos, Philippines: 1 person.
Narvacan, Ilocos, Philippines: 1 person.

4 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 4 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 3.3 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 12 km (7 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 4 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 4.0	1 day earlier Dec 29, 2024 05:34AM (Manila Time)	18 km (11 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.8	1 day earlier Dec 29, 2024 05:39AM (Manila Time)	27 km (17 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.5	Dec 30, 2024 10:56AM (Manila Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.1	2 hrs later Dec 30, 2024 01:03PM (Manila Time)	7 km (4 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	2 days later Jan 1, 2025 09:14PM (Manila Time)	12 km (7 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	3 days later Jan 2, 2025 12:02AM (Manila Time)	88 km (55 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	3 days later Jan 2, 2025 12:34AM (Manila Time)	76 km (47 mi) NE from Main Shock.

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.

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.

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 December 3rd, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 6 km (4 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on July 27th, 2022.

In total, 20 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 6 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always 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 on land near a coastal area (12 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 34 km (21 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 02/01/25 01:58 (). 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.