M6.4 Earthquake 47 km NE of Barcelona, Philippines — December 2, 2023
2023-12-02 16:03:41 UTC (2023-12-02) · approx. 12:03 AM UTC+8 local
Felt by 19 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.7 (strong).
On December 2, 2023 at 16:03 UTC, a magnitude 6.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck 47 km NE of Barcelona, Philippines, at a depth of 35.0 km and coordinates 8.4377°, 126.7570°. The earthquake was reported felt by 19 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.7 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 125 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 643, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Hinatuan (population 10,055).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 60 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 16 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Philippines, a region characterized by the Manila Trench and Philippine Trench subduction systems, where the Philippine Sea Plate overrides the Eurasian Plate. The nearest mapped fault system is the Philippine Fault. View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 19 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 576,561 |
| MMI 4 | light | 8,581,540 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 634,463 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 25,226 |
Earthquake Details
126.7570°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.4 earthquake near Barcelona, Philippines?
The magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck 47 km NE of Barcelona, Philippines on December 2, 2023 at 16:03 UTC had a depth of 35.0 km. It was felt by 19 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.7 (strong). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 8.4377°, 126.7570°, which is 47 km NE of Barcelona, Philippines. The nearest populated place is Hinatuan (population 10,055). View all earthquakes in Philippines.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.4 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Has Philippines had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Philippines was the M8.0 Mindanao earthquake of August 17, 1976. Today's magnitude 6.4 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000lfi0). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, December 2, 2023). M6.4 Earthquake 47 km NE of Barcelona, Philippines — December 2, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000lfi0/