MANILA, Philippines?A mild earthquake struck northern Luzon a few hours before the New Year, the US Geological Survey said.

According to the U.S. agency?s website, the quake occurred at 8:22 p.m. Thursday and had a magnitude of 5.0.

The epicenter was estimated at 130 kilometers southeast of Basco, Batanes. It had a depth of 33.2 kilometers.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) also detected an earthquake in Mindanao earlier in the day at 9:46 a.m.

The quake had a magnitude of 3.8 with the epicenter estimated at 26 kilometers northwest of Dipolog City. It had a depth of 47 kilometers and was tectonic in origin.

The quake was felt at Intensity 3 in Dipolog City; Intensity 2 in Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte; and Intensity 1 in Dumaguete City; Sibulan, Zamboanguita, Bayawan City and Valencia in Negros Oriental.

No damage and aftershocks were reported.

The Philippines lies in a region called the Pacific Ring of Fire which is characterized by frequent volcanic and seismic activity.