Magnitude 5.7 Occurred in Mindanao, the Philippines

- Time: 2024-03-08 at 09:11:44 UTC
             2024-03-08 at 17:11:44 GMT-8
- Location: 5.81° LAT, 126.98° LON
- Magnitude: Mw5.7
- Depth: 87 km
- Provider: EMSC

Picture 1: Location of the magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Mindanao, the Philippines.

The earthquake occurred in an area where we announced HIGH seismic hazard exposure (orange alert) with a WARNING, connected to strong elevations in the tectonic tractions and local tectonic instabilities. We posted about it in our weekly earthquake forecast for the Indonesia region, on March 4, 2024, available here.

Picture 2: Earthquake forecast for the Indonesia region, posted on March 4, 2024.

Due to rotational singularities in the Philippines and Indonesia, the shear traction field was strongly elevated in the wider region of the earthquake. We posted about this rotational singularity on January 23, 2024, highlighting the increased seismic hazard exposure for the Philippines and Indonesia from February 18, see here.

Picture 3: Totational singularity in the Philippines and Indonesia.

A rotational singularity refers to a phenomenon observed in geology and seismology, particularly in the context of tectonic plate interactions. It occurs when fault plates are in extreme proximity to each other, leading to the generation of infinite shear and normal tractions within finite regions, such as volumes of rocks. This situation arises due to the interaction of tectonic waves with low Cosserat lengths, typically within a specific geographic area.

Quantectum's Macroseismic Intensity map suggests "V" as a maximum intensity, which corresponds to MODERATE shaking and SLIGHT damage around the epicenter. Potentially exposed cities were Tibanbang (pop. 8,000), Sigaboy (pop. 8,000), Bobon (pop. 5,000), La Union (pop. 5,000), Lapuan (pop. 4,000), Batobato (pop. 10,000), and Tarragona (pop. 4,000).

Picture 4: Macroseismic Intensity map for the magnitude 5.8 earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines.

There have been no reports of damage, injuries, or casualties as a result of the earthquake so far. Also, no tsunami warning was issued.

* The exact information about the magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the earthquake might be revised within the next few hours as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other data providers issue their reports.
** The information provided is a product of Quantectum's own system, please tag Quantectum when sharing it. For more detailed information, contact us by email.