On Monday Evening a Shallow M5.6 FORESHOCK struck in the Philippine Sea near Hualien City (Taiwan).

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

In the Philippine Sea 29 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan, a shallow and significant M5.6 foreshock occurred in the evening of Monday April 22nd, 2024. 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 (6 mi offshore), 29 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 18:50 (Taipei Time) - Apr 22, 2024 10:50 Universal Time.
Location:	29 km south of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°42'57"N 121°37'48"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 264 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 .
Depth:	10 km (6 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

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 24 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 10,100 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 18 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 24 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

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

Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 29 kilometer (18 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 large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 148 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hualien City is located 29 km to the north and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Taichung is located 107 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 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

Shaking reported by 22 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 22 people have reported shaking in 14 places, all within 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: 6 people.
• Yuli, Hualien, Taiwan: 3 people.
• Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
• Chiayi, Chiayi Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Hsinchu, Hsinchu Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Hualian, Hualien, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Shalu, Taichung Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Tainan, Tainan Shih, 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.

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

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 3rd, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 62 km (38 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.

In total, 40 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 3 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 04/05/24 11:48 (). 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 us7000mdti
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240422_0000133
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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