MAGNITUDE 7.6 EARTHQUAKE SMASHES PHILIPPINES

A Tsunami Threat Notice has been issued after a VERY STRONG Magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck in the Ocean just off the coast of the Philippines.

The quake struck minutes ago at 9:17 AM eastern US time at a shallow depth of only 32.8km

More details coming . . . check back . . . .

The location of the quake is shown on the regional map below:

 From the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii:

ZCZC
WEPA40 PHEB 021444
TSUPAC

TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER HONOLULU HI
1444 UTC SAT DEC 2 2023

...PTWC TSUNAMI THREAT MESSAGE...


**** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE *****

 THIS MESSAGE IS ISSUED FOR INFORMATION ONLY IN SUPPORT OF THE
 UNESCO/IOC PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION SYSTEM AND IS
 MEANT FOR NATIONAL AUTHORITIES IN EACH COUNTRY OF THAT SYSTEM.

 NATIONAL AUTHORITIES WILL DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF
 ALERT FOR EACH COUNTRY AND MAY ISSUE ADDITIONAL OR MORE REFINED
 INFORMATION.

**** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE **** NOTICE *****


PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
---------------------------------

  * MAGNITUDE      7.7
  * ORIGIN TIME    1437 UTC DEC 2 2023
  * COORDINATES    8.6 NORTH  126.4 EAST
  * DEPTH          45 KM / 28 MILES
  * LOCATION       MINDANAO  PHILIPPINES


EVALUATION
----------

  * AN EARTHQUAKE WITH A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 7.7 OCCURRED IN
    MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES AT 1437 UTC ON SATURDAY DECEMBER 2
    2023.

  * BASED ON THE PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS... HAZARDOUS
    TSUNAMI WAVES ARE POSSIBLE FOR COASTS LOCATED WITHIN 1000 KM
    OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER.


TSUNAMI THREAT FORECAST
-----------------------

  * HAZARDOUS TSUNAMI WAVES FROM THIS EARTHQUAKE ARE POSSIBLE
    WITHIN 1000 KM OF THE EPICENTER ALONG THE COASTS OF

      PHILIPPINES... INDONESIA... PALAU AND MALAYSIA


RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
-------------------

  * GOVERNMENT AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR THREATENED COASTAL AREAS
    SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO INFORM AND INSTRUCT ANY COASTAL
    POPULATIONS AT RISK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR OWN
    EVALUATION... PROCEDURES AND THE LEVEL OF THREAT.

  * PERSONS LOCATED IN THREATENED COASTAL AREAS SHOULD STAY ALERT
    FOR INFORMATION AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FROM NATIONAL AND
    LOCAL AUTHORITIES.


ESTIMATED TIMES OF ARRIVAL
--------------------------

  * ESTIMATED TIMES OF ARRIVAL -ETA- OF THE INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE
    FOR PLACES WITH A POTENTIAL TSUNAMI THREAT. ACTUAL ARRIVAL
    TIMES MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE
    LARGEST. A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE TIME BETWEEN
    WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.

    LOCATION         REGION             COORDINATES    ETA(UTC)
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    DAVAO            PHILIPPINES        6.8N 125.7E   1520 12/02
    GEME             INDONESIA          4.6N 126.8E   1520 12/02
    BEREBERE         INDONESIA          2.5N 128.7E   1533 12/02
    TABUKAN TENGAH   INDONESIA          3.6N 125.6E   1535 12/02
    LEGASPI          PHILIPPINES       13.2N 123.8E   1538 12/02
    COTABUTO CITY    PHILIPPINES        7.2N 124.2E   1556 12/02
    MANADO           INDONESIA          1.6N 124.9E   1557 12/02
    PATANI           INDONESIA          0.4N 128.8E   1602 12/02
    MALAKAL          PALAU              7.3N 134.5E   1618 12/02
    MAIMBUNG         PHILIPPINES        5.9N 121.0E   1650 12/02
    ZAMBOANGA        PHILIPPINES        7.0N 122.3E   1650 12/02
    PUERTO PRINCESA  PHILIPPINES        9.8N 118.8E   1749 12/02
    ILOILO           PHILIPPINES       10.7N 122.5E   1802 12/02
    SANDAKAN         MALAYSIA           5.9N 118.1E   1840 12/02
    MANILA           PHILIPPINES       14.6N 121.0E   1929 12/02
    LAHAD DATU       MALAYSIA           4.9N 118.4E   1931 12/02


POTENTIAL IMPACTS
-----------------

  * A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES. THE TIME BETWEEN WAVE CRESTS
    CAN VARY FROM 5 MINUTES TO AN HOUR. THE HAZARD MAY PERSIST
    FOR MANY HOURS OR LONGER AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE.

  * IMPACTS CAN VARY SIGNIFICANTLY FROM ONE SECTION OF COAST TO
    THE NEXT DUE TO LOCAL BATHYMETRY AND THE SHAPE AND ELEVATION
    OF THE SHORELINE.

  * IMPACTS CAN ALSO VARY DEPENDING UPON THE STATE OF THE TIDE AT
    THE TIME OF THE MAXIMUM TSUNAMI WAVES.

  * PERSONS CAUGHT IN THE WATER OF A TSUNAMI MAY DROWN... BE
    CRUSHED BY DEBRIS IN THE WATER... OR BE SWEPT OUT TO SEA.


NEXT UPDATE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
--------------------------------------

  * THE NEXT MESSAGE WILL BE ISSUED IN ONE HOUR... OR SOONER IF
    THE SITUATION WARRANTS.

  * AUTHORITATIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE FROM THE U.S.
    GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT
    EARTHQUAKE.USGS.GOV.

  * FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EVENT MAY BE FOUND AT
    WWW.TSUNAMI.GOV.

  * COASTAL REGIONS OF HAWAII... AMERICAN SAMOA... GUAM... AND
    CNMI SHOULD REFER TO PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER MESSAGES
    SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE PLACES THAT CAN BE FOUND AT
    WWW.TSUNAMI.GOV.

  * COASTAL REGIONS OF CALIFORNIA... OREGON... WASHINGTON...
    BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA SHOULD ONLY REFER TO U.S.
    NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER MESSAGES THAT CAN BE FOUND
    AT WWW.TSUNAMI.GOV.

$$



NNNN

From the US Geological Survey (USGS)

Nearby Places

Distance and direction from epicenter to nearby place. Nearby place information was automatically generated from GeoNames. The list includes populated places, not necessarily cities.

UPDATE 10:16 AM EDT --

From the National Data Buoy Center, FOUR Tsunami Warning Buoys are in "EVENT MODE" indicating a sudden change in ocean depth which _could_ mean a Tsunami is heading in all directions from the earthquake: