Strong M6.1 earthquake hits off the coast of Davao, Philippines

A strong earthquake registered by PHIVOLCS as M6.1 hit off the coast of Davao, Mindanao, Philippines at 09:11 UTC (17:11 LT) on March 8, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 105 km (65 miles). USGS and EMSC are reporting M6.0 at a depth of 125 km (77 miles).

According to the USGS, the epicenter was located 98.3 km (61.1 miles) SE of Pondaguitan (population 2 143), 137.6 km (85.5 miles) E of Caburan (population 12 618), 146.1 km (90.8 miles) SSE of Mati (population 105 908) and 197.7 km (122.9 miles) SE of Davao (population 177 694).

6 491 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking and 323 000 weak.

There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.

Damage is not expected but aftershocks are, PHIVOLCS said.

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 unknown/miscellaneous types and heavy wood frame 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

Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google