On Saturday Night a Significant M5.2 AFTERSHOCK struck in the Philippine Sea near Hualien City (Taiwan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 26th, 2024. Last updated May 6th, 2024.

In the night of Saturday April 27th, 2024, a significant MAG-5.2 aftershock hit in the Philippine Sea 28 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Around 24 million people have been exposed to shaking. 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 (1 mi offshore), 28 kilometer north-northeast of Hualien City in Hualien County. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 39 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 27, 2024 02:49 (Taipei Time) - Apr 26, 2024 18:49 Universal Time.
Location:	28 km NNE of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 24°12'45"N 121°41'44"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 .
Depth:	39 km (24 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 2,315,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 21 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 IV (light shaking, likely no damage). In China and Japan, a smaller number of people were exposed.

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 28 kilometer (17 mi) north-northeast of Hualien City. Hualien City experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Taipei is located 94 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hualien City is located 28 km to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Taichung is located 103 km to the west 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 IV.

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 26 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 26 people have reported shaking in 15 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: 7 people.
• Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 3 people.
• Hsinchuang, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
• Shulin, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
• Taoyuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan: 2 people.
• Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Miaoli, Miaoli, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Chushan, Nantou, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
• Hsichih, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.7 earthquake struck 6 km (4 mi) south-southwest in advance of this 5.2 earthquake around 28 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, 100 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 month.

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 06/05/24 19:08 (). 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 us6000mu45
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240426_0000226
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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