Under land 50 miles from Kēng Tung in Myanmar, a shallow Magnitude 4.5 aftershock occurred in the early afternoon of Friday November 17th, 2023. Other nearby countries are Thailand, China and Laos.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Myanmar, 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Kēng Tung in Shan. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 17, 2023 12:32PM (Yangon Time) - Nov 17, 2023 06:02 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 50 mi SW of Kēng Tung, Shan, Myanmar. Coordinates 21°8'56"N 99°21'20"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.5 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.106 . |
| Depth: | 6 mi (10 km) A very 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
Myanmar , Thailand , China and Laos are all located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Kēng Tung (Shan, Myanmar) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Kēng Tung is located 50 mi to the north-east. Jinghong is located 171 km to the north-east. Simao is located 247 km to the north-east.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 50 mi (80 km) NE from epicenter |
Kēng Tung Shan, Myanmar. |
| 59 mi (95 km) SE from epicenter |
Tachilek Shan, Myanmar. |
| 96 km (60 mi) SE from epicenter |
Mae Sai Chiang Rai, Thailand. |
| 123 km (76 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Mae Chan Chiang Rai, Thailand. |
| 124 km (77 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Nuofu Yunnan, China. |
| 145 km (90 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Huimin Yunnan, China. |
| 147 km (91 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Chiang Rai Chiang Rai, Thailand. |
| 151 km (94 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Donghui Yunnan, China. |
| 152 km (94 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ban Houakhoua Bokeo, Laos. |
| 157 km (98 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Fazhanhe Yunnan, China. |
| 167 km (104 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Menglang Yunnan, China. |
| 171 km (106 mi) NE from epicenter |
Jinghong Yunnan, China. |
| 180 km (112 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Zhutang Yunnan, China. |
| 185 km (115 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Nuozhadu Yunnan, China. |
| 186 km (116 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Nanling Yunnan, China. |
| 201 km (125 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Fubang Yunnan, China. |
| 207 km (129 mi) N from epicenter |
Mujia Yunnan, China. |
| 213 km (132 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Qianliu Yunnan, China. |
| 217 km (135 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Shangyun Yunnan, China. |
| 220 km (137 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Dashan Yunnan, China. |
| 224 km (139 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Phayao Phayao, Thailand. |
| 229 km (142 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Fudong Yunnan, China. |
| 231 km (144 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Dok Kham Tai Phayao, Thailand. |
| 152 mi (244 km) W from epicenter |
Taunggyi Shan, Myanmar. |
| 247 km (153 mi) NE from epicenter |
Simao Yunnan, China. |
| 161 mi (259 km) NW from epicenter |
Lashio Shan, Myanmar. |
| 265 km (165 mi) S from epicenter |
Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
| 268 km (167 mi) S from epicenter |
San Kamphaeng Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
| 172 mi (277 km) SW from epicenter |
Loikaw Kayah, Myanmar. |
| 278 km (173 mi) E from epicenter |
Muang Xay Oudômxai, Laos. |
| 278 km (173 mi) S from epicenter |
Hang Dong Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
| 284 km (176 mi) S from epicenter |
San Pa Tong Chiang Mai, Thailand. |
| 288 km (179 mi) S from epicenter |
Lamphun Lamphun, Thailand. |
| 295 km (183 mi) S from epicenter |
Pa Sang Lamphun, Thailand. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Thailand.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Chiang Rai, Chiang Rai, Thailand: 1 person.
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 4 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck 6 mi (9 km) north-northwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 4.5 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 5.7 |
Nov 17, 2023 08:07AM (Yangon Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
5 mins later Nov 17, 2023 08:12AM (Yangon Time) | 12 mi (20 km) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
3 hrs later Nov 17, 2023 11:26AM (Yangon Time) | 6 mi (10 km) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 4.5 |
4 hrs later Nov 17, 2023 12:32PM (Yangon Time) | 6 mi (9 km) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
8 hrs later Nov 17, 2023 04:31PM (Yangon Time) | 2.2 mi (4 km) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
10 hrs later Nov 17, 2023 06:22PM (Yangon Time) | 2 mi (3 km) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
2 days later Nov 19, 2023 06:32PM (Yangon Time) | 20 mi (33 km) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
3 days later Nov 19, 2023 08:34PM (Yangon Time) | 14 mi (23 km) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
3 days later Nov 20, 2023 12:49AM (Yangon Time) | 4 mi (6 km) S 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).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 61 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 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 4.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 6 mi (10 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 08/12/23 02:18 (). 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 us6000lp0v
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231117_0000048
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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