An unusually powerful MAG-4.6 earthquake struck under land 40 kilometer from Mo i Rana in Norway in the night of Wednesday November 8th, 2023.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Norway, 40 kilometer (25 mi) north-northwest of Mo i Rana in Nordland. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 8, 2023 02:50 (Oslo Time) - Nov 8, 2023 01:50 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 40 km NNW of Mo i Rana, Nordland, Norway. Coordinates 66°39'16"N 13°50'7"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.6 Detected by 61 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.07 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (7 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Norway . Located 40 kilometer (25 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Mo i Rana (Nordland, Norway) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 40 km (25 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Mo i Rana Nordland, Norway. |
| 74 km (46 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Bodø Nordland, Norway. |
| 264 km (164 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Harstad Troms og Finnmark, Norway. |
Shaking reported by 35 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 35 people have reported shaking in 16 places, all within Norway.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Ørnes, Nordland, Norway: 9 people.
- Mo i Rana, Nordland, Norway: 5 people.
- Glomfjord, Nordland, Norway: 4 people.
- Reipå, Nordland, Norway: 3 people.
- Mosjøen, Nordland, Norway: 2 people.
- Nesna, Nordland, Norway: 2 people.
- Torvik, Akershus, Norway: 1 person.
- Bjerka, Nordland, Norway: 1 person.
- Bodø, Nordland, Norway: 1 person.
- Fauske, Nordland, Norway: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 2.5 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 26 km (16 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.6 |
Nov 8, 2023 02:50 (Oslo Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 days later Nov 9, 2023 23:13 (Oslo Time) | 26 km (16 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).This is an unusually powerful earthquake
No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 4.6 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.
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 | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (7 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 08/12/23 02:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000l9gm
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231108_0000019
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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