Shallow M5.8 AFTERSHOCK hit in the Philippine Sea near Hualien City (Taiwan) on Tuesday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 23rd, 2024. Last updated May 3rd, 2024.

In the Philippine Sea 21 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan, a shallow and significant M5.8 aftershock occurred in the morning of Tuesday April 23rd, 2024. Roughly 24 million people may have felt this earthquake. Other nearby countries are Japan and China.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of Taiwan (7 mi offshore), 21 kilometer south-southeast of Hualien City in Hualien County. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 13 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 23, 2024 08:04 (Taipei Time) - Apr 23, 2024 00:04 Universal Time.
Location:	21 km SSE of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°48'9"N 121°40'35"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 .
Depth:	13 km (8 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

An estimated 24 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 200,900 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 15 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 VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). A smaller number of people were exposed in the following countries: China and Japan.

Nearby towns and cities

Taiwan , Japan and China are all 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 21 kilometer (13 mi) south-southeast of Hualien City. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hualien City is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 139 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hualien City is located 21 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). Xiamen is located 372 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 10 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 10 people have reported shaking in 9 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: 2 people.
• Hsinchu, Hsinchu Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Hualian, Hualien, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Hsichih, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Hsinchuang, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Shulin, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 6 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck 9 km (6 mi) south-southwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.8 earthquake as an aftershock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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, 36 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 03/05/24 00:28 (). 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 us6000mt3f
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240423_0000001
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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