On Saturday Night an Unusually powerful M4.7 Earthquake struck near San Antonio in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 17th, 2024. Last updated April 16th, 2024.

Under land 43 miles from San Antonio in The United States, an unusually powerful Magnitude 4.7 earthquake occurred in the night of Saturday February 17th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 7.1 million people. Another nearby country is Mexico.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 43 miles (70 km) south-east of San Antonio in Texas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 1 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Feb 17, 2024 12:32AM (Chicago Time) - Feb 17, 2024 06:32 Universal Time.
Location:	43 mi SE of San Antonio, Texas, The United States. Coordinates 28°57'29"N 98°0'18"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.7 Detected by 34 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.053 .
Depth:	1 mi (2 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 100% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 7.1 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 7.1 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 870 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 7 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Mexico .

Nearby towns and cities

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: The United States and Mexico .

Located 42 miles (68 km) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Seguin (Texas, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Seguin is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. San Antonio is located 43 mi to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Houston is located 168 mi to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Austin is located 92 mi to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

8 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 8 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 4 mi (7 km) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 min later. It measured a magnitude of 3.7

This main shock was prefaced by 3 smaller foreshocks. A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 13 mins earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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

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 4.7 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

Sources

Last updated 16/04/24 08:28 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake tx2024dijp
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240217_0000081
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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