5.3

M5.3 Earthquake 26 km ENE of Gamut, PhilippinesDecember 6, 2023

2023-12-06 01:55:58 UTC (2023-12-06) · approx. 9:55 AM UTC+8 local

Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.3(mb)
Time01:55 UTC9:55 AM UTC+8
Depth54.9 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates8.616°, 126.464°
Felt by1DYFI response
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On December 6, 2023 at 01:55 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 26 km ENE of Gamut, Philippines, at a depth of 54.9 km and coordinates 8.6155°, 126.4644°. This earthquake was detected by 118 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 432, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 8.62°, 126.46°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.3 earthquake near 26 km ENE of Gamut, Philippines

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.3 mb
Depth
54.9 km
shallow crustal
Location
8.6155°N
126.4644°E
Felt Reports
1
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
2.9
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000lgkp
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
432
Stations Used
118
Azimuthal Gap
67.0°
Min Station Distance
1.769°
RMS Residual
0.66 sec
Last Updated
2024-02-10 23:47:36 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Gamut, Philippines?

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 26 km ENE of Gamut, Philippines on December 6, 2023 at 01:55 UTC had a depth of 54.9 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 8.6155°, 126.4644°, which is 26 km ENE of Gamut, Philippines. View all earthquakes in Philippines.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks 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 5.3 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000lgkp). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, December 6, 2023). M5.3 Earthquake 26 km ENE of Gamut, PhilippinesDecember 6, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000lgkp/