Shallow M5.4 AFTERSHOCK struck on Tuesday Night in the Philippine Sea near Hualien City (Taiwan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 22nd, 2024. Last updated May 2nd, 2024.

In the early morning of Tuesday April 23rd, 2024, a shallow and significant MAG-5.4 aftershock hit in the Philippine Sea 19 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 24 million people. Japan is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of Taiwan (4 mi offshore), 19 kilometer south of Hualien City in Hualien County. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 11 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 23, 2024 05:31 (Taipei Time) - Apr 22, 2024 21:31 Universal Time.
Location:	19 km south of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°48'29"N 121°38'3"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 .
Depth:	11 km (7 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 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 24 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 24 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 14,470 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 22 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 3 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Taiwan , around 23 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). In China and Japan, a smaller number of people were exposed.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Taiwan and Japan are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 19 kilometer (12 mi) south of Hualien City. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hualien City is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Taipei is located 138 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hualien City is located 19 km to the north and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Taichung is located 104 km to the west-northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

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

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 6.1 earthquake struck 9 km (6 mi) south in advance of this 5.4 earthquake around 3 hrs earlier.

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. In total, 72 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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.

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 02/05/24 21:48 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000mt22
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240422_0000285
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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