01
A Nation in Constant Motion
Every dot is a recorded earthquake — 18,139 in total, roughly 50 per day, every day of 2024. This is not a crisis year. This is normal for an archipelago wedged between four tectonic plates.
02
18,139 Events. One Year.
Laid flat, the sheer count becomes visceral. The Philippines sits at the convergence of the Pacific, Philippine Sea, Eurasian, and Indo-Australian plates. No other country straddles so many active boundaries at once.
03
The Silent 80%
Sorted by magnitude, the picture splits sharply. Over 14,000 events — in grey — registered below magnitude 3.0. Micro-tremors too faint to feel, yet each one a reminder that the ground beneath is never truly still.
04
Depth Tells the Real Story
The remaining 3,500+ quakes — magnitude 3.0 and above — are colored by depth. Shallow quakes (amber, < 70 km) cause the most damage. Intermediate events (blue, 70–300 km) are felt across wider areas. Deep quakes (coral, > 300 km) rumble from the mantle. Circle size tracks magnitude.
05
Where the Earth Breaks
Plotted on the map, fault lines emerge. Mindanao bears the heaviest load, straddling the Philippine Trench. Shallow amber clusters mark the most dangerous zones — where ruptures hit closest to the surface. The geography is predictable. The timing, never.