Shallow M4.9 Earthquake hit near Boise in The United States on Monday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 26th, 2024. Last updated April 26th, 2024.

A shallow MAG-4.9 earthquake struck under land 54 miles from Boise in The United States in the morning of Monday February 26th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.1 million people.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 54 miles (87 km) north of Boise in Idaho. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 8 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Feb 26, 2024 10:25AM (Boise Time) - Feb 26, 2024 17:25 Universal Time.
Location:	54 mi north of Boise, Idaho, The United States. Coordinates 44°23'27"N 116°6'39"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.9 Detected by 6 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.3 .
Depth:	8 mi (12 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 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% 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 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 1.1 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 1.1 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.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 940 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 0.8 million). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
5,840	I	Not noticable	None
848,100	II	Very weak	None
264,900	III	Weak	Probably none
6,400	IV	Light	Likely none
940	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Eagle in Idaho, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 50 miles (80 km) north-northeast of Eagle. Eagle experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and 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

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
50 mi (80 km) SSW from epicenter	Eagle Idaho, The United States.	III Weak
54 mi (87 km) S from epicenter	Boise Idaho, The United States.	III Weak
55 mi (89 km) SSW from epicenter	Meridian Idaho, The United States.	II Weak
58 mi (93 km) SSW from epicenter	Caldwell Idaho, The United States.	II Weak
63 mi (101 km) SSW from epicenter	Nampa Idaho, The United States.	II Weak
64 mi (103 km) SSW from epicenter	Kuna Idaho, The United States.	II Weak
144 mi (231 km) NNW from epicenter	Lewiston Orchards Idaho, The United States.
147 mi (236 km) NNW from epicenter	Lewiston Idaho, The United States.
151 mi (243 km) SE from epicenter	Twin Falls Idaho, The United States.
158 mi (254 km) NW from epicenter	Pendleton Oregon, The United States.
158 mi (255 km) NW from epicenter	Walla Walla Washington, The United States.	II Weak
167 mi (269 km) NNW from epicenter	Moscow Idaho, The United States.
170 mi (273 km) NNW from epicenter	Pullman Washington, The United States.
185 mi (297 km) WNW from epicenter	Hermiston Oregon, The United States.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured 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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

7 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 7 smaller aftershocks. A 3 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 2.9 mi (5 km) south of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.9	Feb 26, 2024 10:25AM (Boise Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.8	20 mins later Feb 26, 2024 10:46AM (Boise Time)	2.7 mi (4 km) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	2 hrs later Feb 26, 2024 12:00PM (Boise Time)	1.6 mi (2.6 km) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	7 hrs later Feb 26, 2024 05:01PM (Boise Time)	1.9 mi (3 km) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	19 hrs later Feb 27, 2024 05:54AM (Boise Time)	2.6 mi (4 km) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	2 days later Feb 28, 2024 05:53PM (Boise Time)	2.9 mi (5 km) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	2 days later Feb 28, 2024 06:57PM (Boise Time)	2.1 mi (3 km) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	3 days later Feb 29, 2024 07:21AM (Boise Time)	46 mi (74 km) E from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 4 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 31st, 2020, when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit 49 mi (79 km) further east. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.9 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 5 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 4.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 8 mi (12 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 26/04/24 06:08 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.