Strong and shallow M5.9 earthquake hits Mindanao, Philippines
Image credit: Google, TW/SAM
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.9 hit just 2 km (1.2 miles) north of Kadingilan, Mindanao, Philippines at 13:22 UTC (21:22 LT) on November 18, 2019. The agency is reporting a depth of 13.1 km (8.1 miles). This earthquake can have a medium humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.
There are 8 450 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
197 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 592 000 strong and 1 910 000 light.
Image credit: Google, TW/SAM
The USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are reinforced concrete and unknown/miscellaneous types construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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