In the evening of Sunday July 28th, 2024, a shallow Magnitude 4.5 earthquake hit under land 18 miles from Cedar City in The United States. Roughly 310 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 18 miles (29 km) south-east of Cedar City in Utah. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 12 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 28, 2024 11:29PM (Denver Time) - Jul 29, 2024 05:29 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 18 mi SE of Cedar City, Utah, The United States. Coordinates 37°28'21"N 112°51'8"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.5 Detected by 123 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.028 . |
| Depth: | 12 mi (20 km) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | V
Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude 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 310 thousand people exposed to shaking
The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 310 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.
The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 31,440 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level I was experienced by the majority of people (around 390 thousand). In their region, not noticeable and no damage can be expected.
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 391,800 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 106,500 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 175,800 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 31,440 | 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 . Located 18 miles (29 km) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Cedar City (Utah, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Cedar City is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).
Major cities near this earthquake: Las Vegas is located 155 mi to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Henderson is located 154 mi to the southwest and experienced an intensity of I (not noticeable, no damage). North Las Vegas is located 153 mi to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).
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) |
|---|---|---|
| 18 mi (29 km) NW from epicenter |
Cedar City Utah, The United States. |
IV
Light |
| 32 mi (51 km) SW from epicenter |
Hurricane Utah, The United States. |
III
Weak |
| 43 mi (69 km) SW from epicenter |
Washington Utah, The United States. |
IV
Light |
| 48 mi (77 km) WSW from epicenter |
Saint George Utah, The United States. |
IV
Light |
| 81 mi (131 km) SW from epicenter |
Mesquite Nevada, The United States. |
III
Weak |
| 150 mi (242 km) SW from epicenter |
Sunrise Manor Nevada, The United States. |
|
| 150 mi (242 km) SW from epicenter |
Boulder City Nevada, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 153 mi (246 km) SW from epicenter |
North Las Vegas Nevada, The United States. |
|
| 153 mi (247 km) SW from epicenter |
Whitney Nevada, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 154 mi (248 km) SW from epicenter |
Henderson Nevada, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 155 mi (249 km) SW from epicenter |
Las Vegas Nevada, The United States. |
|
| 156 mi (251 km) SW from epicenter |
Winchester Nevada, The United States. |
|
| 158 mi (255 km) SW from epicenter |
Paradise Nevada, The United States. |
|
| 163 mi (262 km) SW from epicenter |
Spring Valley Nevada, The United States. |
|
| 166 mi (267 km) SW from epicenter |
Enterprise Nevada, The United States. |
|
| 166 mi (267 km) SW from epicenter |
Summerlin South Nevada, The United States. |
|
| 171 mi (275 km) SSE from epicenter |
Flagstaff Arizona, The United States. |
|
| 171 mi (276 km) SSW from epicenter |
Kingman Arizona, 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 V.
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).This is the strongest earthquake in 5 years
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 11th, 2019, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 169 mi (272 km) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck on May 22nd, 2015.
In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 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 years.
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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 12 mi (20 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 16/09/24 05:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake uu80076711
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240729_0000050
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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