Significant M5.7 Earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea near Hualien City (Taiwan) on Saturday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 26th, 2024. Last updated May 7th, 2024.

In the night of Saturday April 27th, 2024, a significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 22 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. 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 (1 mi offshore), 22 kilometer north-northeast of Hualien City in Hualien County. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 33 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 27, 2024 02:21 (Taipei Time) - Apr 26, 2024 18:21 Universal Time.
Location:	22 km NNE of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 24°9'50"N 121°39'49"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 38 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.05 .
Depth:	33 km (21 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI 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.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 235,500 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 18 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 V (moderate shaking, very light damage). A smaller number of people were exposed in the following countries: China and Japan.

Nearby towns and cities

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

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan. Hualien City is located 22 kilometer (14 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter. 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 99 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hualien City is located 22 km to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Taichung is located 99 km to the west and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. 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 149 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 149 people have reported shaking in 44 places in 3 countries (Taiwan, China, Japan).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: 37 people.
• Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 15 people.
• Hsichih, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 10 people.
• Taoyuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan: 8 people.
• Chungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 8 people.
• Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 7 people.
• Shulin, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 5 people.
• Tucheng, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.
• Tanshui, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.
• Taipei, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.

11 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 11 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 28 mins later 6 km (4 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 23 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-5.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 23rd, 2024, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 40 km (25 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.

In total, 38 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 07/05/24 18:48 (). 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 us6000mu3y
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240426_0000222
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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