M4.9 AFTERSHOCK struck on Monday Morning in the Sulawesi Sea near Malingao (The Philippines).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 13th, 2025. Last updated January 15th, 2025.

In the Sulawesi Sea 85 kilometer from Malingao, The Philippines, a MAG-4.9 aftershock occurred in the morning of Monday January 13th, 2025. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Such earthquakes in regions like this usually have a minimal impact on people and the economy.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Sulawesi Sea, right off the coast of The Philippines (9 mi offshore), 85 kilometer southwest of Malingao in Soccsksargen. The center of this earthquake had a very deep depth of 551 km. Deep earthquakes usually have less impact than shallower earthquakes of similar strenght.

Date and Time:	Jan 13, 2025 08:21AM (Manila Time) - Jan 13, 2025 00:21 Universal Time.
Location:	85 km SW of Malingao, Soccsksargen, The Philippines. Coordinates 6°39'18"N 123°53'53"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.9 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 .
Depth:	551 km (343 mi) A very deep depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely 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.

Not many people felt this earthquake

This earthquake may have been felt by around 440 thousand 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 441,500 people were exposed to level II. At this level, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected. Intensity level I was experienced by the majority of people (around 18 million). In their region, not noticeable and no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In The Philippines , around 440 thousand people, with impact levels up to II (very weak shaking, no damage).

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . Maganoy in Rehiyong Autonomo sa Muslim na Mindanao, The Philippines is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 64 kilometer (40 mi) west-southwest of Maganoy. The intensity of shaking and damage in Maganoy is estimated to be around level I on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (not noticeable, no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Budta is located 85 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage). Malingao is located 85 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage). Davao is located 195 km to the east-northeast and experienced an intensity of I (not noticeable, no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely 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 0.

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 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places in 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:

• Katangawan, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.
• Maitum, Southern Mindanao, Philippines: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 1 min before this earthquake hit, a larger 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck 12 km (8 mi) west-southwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 4.9 earthquake as an aftershock.

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.

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. In total, 213 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.9 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 17 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 15/01/25 09:48 (). 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. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250113_0000074
2. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
3. Google Maps: Static API
4. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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