On Tuesday Night a Shallow M6.0 AFTERSHOCK struck near Hualien City in Taiwan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 22nd, 2024. Last updated May 3rd, 2024.

In the night of Tuesday April 23rd, 2024, a shallow and strong Magnitude 6.0 aftershock hit under land 14 kilometer from Hualien City in Taiwan. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage but are usually unlikely to result on large numbers of fatalities. Japan and China are also near its epicenter.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Taiwan, 14 kilometer (9 mi) south-southwest 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 23, 2024 02:32 (Taipei Time) - Apr 22, 2024 18:32 Universal Time.
Location:	14 km SSW of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°52'2"N 121°32'19"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (5 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant economic impact

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 YELLOW (significant). They expect an 39% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 94% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 100 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 VIII, which corresponds with severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage. Roughly 4,570 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 22 million). In their region, light shaking and likely 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 VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage). Other countries where people were exposed to shaking include Japan and China.

Nearby towns and cities

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

Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 14 kilometer (9 mi) south-southwest of Hualien City. Hualien City experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly VII. That level implies very strong shaking and likely moderate damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Taipei is located 131 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hualien City is located 14 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage). Xiamen is located 357 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 VIII.

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 79 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 79 people have reported shaking in 24 places in 2 countries (Taiwan, China).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: 30 people.
• Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 9 people.
• Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 7 people.
• Hsichih, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.
• Hualian, Hualien, Taiwan: 3 people.
• Chupei, Hsinchu Hsien, Taiwan: 3 people.
• Chungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 3 people.
• Hsinchu, Hsinchu Shih, Taiwan: 2 people.
• Fengshan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
• Tanshui, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 6.1 earthquake struck 19 km (12 mi) south-east in advance of this 6.0 earthquake around 6 mins 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.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 20 earthquakes with a magnitude of 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 6 months.

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 03/05/24 00:58 (). 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 us6000mt0s
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240422_0000248
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: