Under land 9 miles from Bayside in The United States, a shallow Magnitude 4.0 earthquake occurred just before midnight of Tuesday May 14th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 140 thousand people.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 9 miles (14 km) east of Bayside in California. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 16 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 14, 2024 11:39PM (Los Angeles Time) - May 15, 2024 06:39 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 9 mi east of Bayside, California, The United States. Coordinates 40°49'42"N 123°54'7"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.0 Detected by 146 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.026 . |
| Depth: | 16 mi (26 km) A quite shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | IV
Light 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 (14 mi from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to 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 140 thousand people exposed to shaking
An estimated 140 thousand 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 IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 5,680 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 1.3 million) live in an area exposed to level I, where not noticeable and no damage is expected.
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,262,000 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 30,550 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 101,100 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 5,680 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 0 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 0 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Bayside in California, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 9 miles (14 km) east of Bayside. The intensity of shaking and damage in Bayside is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably 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
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 mi (14 km) W from epicenter |
Bayside California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
| 10 mi (16 km) WNW from epicenter |
Arcata California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
| 13 mi (21 km) NW from epicenter |
McKinleyville California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
| 14 mi (22 km) W from epicenter |
Eureka California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
| 81 mi (130 km) E from epicenter |
Redding California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 112 mi (181 km) NNE from epicenter |
Ashland Oregon, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 115 mi (185 km) NNE from epicenter |
Grants Pass Oregon, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 116 mi (187 km) NNE from epicenter |
Medford Oregon, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 119 mi (191 km) NNE from epicenter |
Central Point Oregon, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 122 mi (196 km) SSE from epicenter |
Ukiah California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 133 mi (214 km) SE from epicenter |
Chico California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 141 mi (227 km) ESE from epicenter |
Paradise California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 146 mi (235 km) NE from epicenter |
Klamath Falls Oregon, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 146 mi (235 km) SSE from epicenter |
Clearlake California, The United States. |
|
| 147 mi (237 km) NE from epicenter |
Altamont Oregon, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 153 mi (247 km) SE from epicenter |
Oroville California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 168 mi (270 km) N from epicenter |
Roseburg Oregon, The United States. |
|
| 168 mi (270 km) SE from epicenter |
Yuba City California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 168 mi (270 km) SSE from epicenter |
Windsor California, The United States. |
|
| 168 mi (271 km) SE from epicenter |
South Yuba City California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 171 mi (275 km) SE from epicenter |
Linda California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 173 mi (278 km) E from epicenter |
Susanville California, The United States. |
|
| 176 mi (283 km) N from epicenter |
Coos Bay Oregon, The United States. |
|
| 176 mi (284 km) SSE from epicenter |
Santa Rosa California, The United States. |
|
| 183 mi (295 km) SSE from epicenter |
Rohnert Park California, The United States. |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is III.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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.
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 12th, 2024, when a 4 magnitude earthquake hit 74 mi (120 km) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2016.
In total, 217 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4 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 17 days.
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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (14 mi from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 16 mi (26 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/07/24 05:48 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake nc75006996
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240515_0000078
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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