A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck under land 7 kilometer from La Maná in Ecuador in the evening of Monday November 6th, 2023. Colombia is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Ecuador, 7 kilometer (4 mi) northwest of La Maná in Cotopaxi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 28 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 6, 2023 22:33 (Guayaquil Time) - Nov 7, 2023 03:33 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 7 km NW of La Maná, Cotopaxi, Ecuador. Coordinates 0°53'23"N 79°15'46"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 28 km (17 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Impact
The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:
Three persons injured and at least 6 homes damaged in La Mana; 1 person injured, several homes and atleast 1 building damaged in Valencia. At least 1 home damaged in Buena Fe.
Nearby towns and cities
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Ecuador and Colombia .
Located 7 kilometer (4 mi) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, La Maná (Cotopaxi, Ecuador) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Quito is located 110 km to the north-east. Guayaquil is located 161 km to the south-southwest. Quevedo is located 27 km to the southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 7 km (4 mi) SE from epicenter |
La Maná Cotopaxi, Ecuador. |
| 27 km (17 mi) SW from epicenter |
Quevedo Los Ríos, Ecuador. |
| 45 km (28 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Velasco Ibarra Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 63 km (39 mi) E from epicenter |
Pujilí Cotopaxi, Ecuador. |
| 65 km (40 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ventanas Los Ríos, Ecuador. |
| 71 km (44 mi) N from epicenter |
Santo Domingo de los Colorados Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador. |
| 72 km (45 mi) E from epicenter |
Latacunga Cotopaxi, Ecuador. |
| 82 km (51 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Ambato Tungurahua, Ecuador. |
| 83 km (52 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Guaranda Bolívar, Ecuador. |
| 88 km (55 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Machachi Pichincha, Ecuador. |
| 89 km (55 mi) SW from epicenter |
Balzar Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 92 km (57 mi) SW from epicenter |
Vinces Los Ríos, Ecuador. |
| 94 km (58 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Pelileo Tungurahua, Ecuador. |
| 95 km (59 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Chone Manabí, Ecuador. |
| 100 km (62 mi) S from epicenter |
Montalvo Los Ríos, Ecuador. |
| 100 km (62 mi) W from epicenter |
Calceta Manabí, Ecuador. |
| 106 km (66 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Babahoyo Los Ríos, Ecuador. |
| 110 km (68 mi) NE from epicenter |
Quito Pichincha, Ecuador. |
| 111 km (69 mi) SE from epicenter |
Riobamba Chimborazo, Ecuador. |
| 130 km (81 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Samborondón Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 133 km (83 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bahía de Caráquez Manabí, Ecuador. |
| 134 km (83 mi) W from epicenter |
Portoviejo Manabí, Ecuador. |
| 136 km (85 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Sucre Manabí, Ecuador. |
| 137 km (85 mi) N from epicenter |
Rosa Zarate Esmeraldas, Ecuador. |
| 140 km (87 mi) SSW from epicenter |
El Triunfo Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 143 km (89 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Yaguachi Nuevo Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 143 km (89 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Milagro Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 144 km (89 mi) S from epicenter |
Naranjito Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 149 km (93 mi) SW from epicenter |
Pedro Carbo Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 155 km (96 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Puyo Pastaza, Ecuador. |
| 155 km (96 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Jipijapa Manabí, Ecuador. |
| 156 km (97 mi) W from epicenter |
Montecristi Manabí, Ecuador. |
| 157 km (98 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Eloy Alfaro Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 161 km (100 mi) W from epicenter |
Manta Manabí, Ecuador. |
| 161 km (100 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Guayaquil Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 162 km (101 mi) NE from epicenter |
Cayambe Pichincha, Ecuador. |
| 162 km (101 mi) E from epicenter |
Tena Napo, Ecuador. |
| 167 km (104 mi) NE from epicenter |
Otavalo Imbabura, Ecuador. |
| 171 km (106 mi) S from epicenter |
La Troncal Cañar, Ecuador. |
| 179 km (111 mi) NE from epicenter |
Atuntaqui Imbabura, Ecuador. |
| 187 km (116 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ibarra Imbabura, Ecuador. |
| 202 km (126 mi) S from epicenter |
Naranjal Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 203 km (126 mi) SE from epicenter |
Macas Morona-Santiago, Ecuador. |
| 210 km (130 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Esmeraldas Esmeraldas, Ecuador. |
| 211 km (131 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Azogues Cañar, Ecuador. |
| 225 km (140 mi) S from epicenter |
Cuenca Azuay, Ecuador. |
| 231 km (144 mi) SW from epicenter |
Santa Elena Santa Elena, Ecuador. |
| 236 km (147 mi) SW from epicenter |
La Libertad Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 239 km (149 mi) SW from epicenter |
Salinas Santa Elena, Ecuador. |
| 256 km (159 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tulcán Carchi, Ecuador. |
| 257 km (160 mi) E from epicenter |
Puerto Francisco de Orellana Orellana, Ecuador. |
| 263 km (163 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ipiales Nariño, Colombia. |
| 275 km (171 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Machala El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 285 km (177 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Nueva Loja Sucumbios, Ecuador. |
Shaking reported by 39 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 39 people have reported shaking in 13 places, all within Ecuador.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador: 15 people.
- Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador: 4 people.
- Santa Lucía, Guayas, Ecuador: 4 people.
- Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador: 3 people.
- Latacunga, Cotopaxi, Ecuador: 2 people.
- Saquisilí, Cotopaxi, Ecuador: 2 people.
- Quevedo, Los Ríos, Ecuador: 2 people.
- Sangolquí, Pichincha, Ecuador: 2 people.
- Alausí, Chimborazo, Ecuador: 1 person.
- Pujilí, Cotopaxi, Ecuador: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 21st, 2023, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 268 km (167 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on April 16th, 2016.
In total, 75 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 28 km (17 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 03/12/23 01:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000l99x
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231107_0000036
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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