Shallow M5.1 FORESHOCK struck on Monday Evening in the Philippine Sea near Hualien City (Taiwan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 22nd, 2024. Last updated May 4th, 2024.

In the evening of Monday April 22nd, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 foreshock hit in the Philippine Sea 27 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan. Another country near the epicenter is Japan.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of Taiwan (5 mi offshore), 27 kilometer south of Hualien City in Hualien County. 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:	Apr 22, 2024 19:13 (Taipei Time) - Apr 22, 2024 11:13 Universal Time.
Location:	27 km south of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°44'8"N 121°36'58"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 169 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

Taiwan and Japan are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan. Hualien City is located 27 kilometer (17 mi) south of the epicenter.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 146 km to the north. Hualien City is located 27 km to the north. Taichung is located 105 km to the west-northwest.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

Shaking reported by 3 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Taiwan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Yungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
• Yuli, Hualien, Taiwan: 1 person.

This is likely a foreshock

This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-6.1 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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.

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 April 22nd, 2024, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 2.6 km (1.6 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.

In total, 123 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 30 days.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 04/05/24 00:18 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000mdtl
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240422_0000140
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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