In the late afternoon of Wednesday May 22nd, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 27 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan. Another country near the epicenter is Japan.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 22 kilometers (14 mi) off the coast of Taiwan, 27 kilometer south-east 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: | May 22, 2024 16:00 (Taipei Time) - May 22, 2024 08:00 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 27 km SE of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°46'53"N 121°45'57"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 15 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Taiwan and Japan are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan. Hualien City is located 27 kilometer (17 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 143 km to the north. Hualien City is located 27 km to the northwest. Taichung is located 117 km to the west-northwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 27 km (17 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 84 km (52 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 103 km (64 mi) W from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 109 km (68 mi) N from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 112 km (70 mi) W from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 113 km (70 mi) W from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 117 km (73 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 123 km (76 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) W from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 132 km (82 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 139 km (86 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 140 km (87 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 143 km (89 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 143 km (89 mi) N from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 150 km (93 mi) N from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 152 km (94 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 181 km (112 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 197 km (122 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 199 km (124 mi) SW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 223 km (139 mi) W from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 224 km (139 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 251 km (156 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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:
- Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. At a distance of 1.9 km (1.2 mi) south of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 11 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.9
In the days before this main shock, 8 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 34 sec earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.4
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
5 days earlier May 19, 2024 21:52 (Taipei Time) | 16 km (10 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
4 days earlier May 20, 2024 15:56 (Taipei Time) | 73 km (45 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
4 days earlier May 20, 2024 17:20 (Taipei Time) | 15 km (9 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
3 days earlier May 22, 2024 11:09 (Taipei Time) | 93 km (58 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
1 day earlier May 23, 2024 21:59 (Taipei Time) | 53 km (33 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.0 |
22 hrs earlier May 24, 2024 03:29 (Taipei Time) | 24 km (15 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
14 hrs earlier May 24, 2024 11:10 (Taipei Time) | 38 km (23 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
34 sec earlier May 25, 2024 01:06 (Taipei Time) | 4 km (2.2 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 4.6 |
May 25, 2024 01:07 (Taipei Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
11 hrs later May 25, 2024 11:48 (Taipei Time) | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) S from Main Shock. |
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.
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 May 10th, 2024, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 47 km (29 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 137 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 27 days.
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
| 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 under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/06/24 11:08 (). 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 us6000n082
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240522_0000070
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
