Shallow M4.7 Earthquake struck on Thursday Night near Hilo in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 22nd, 2024. Last updated September 17th, 2024.

In the night of Thursday August 22nd, 2024, a shallow MAG-4.7 earthquake hit under land 28 miles from Hilo in The United States. Roughly 360 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 28 miles (45 km) south of Hilo in Hawaii. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 4 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 22, 2024 12:52AM (Honolulu Time) - Aug 22, 2024 10:52 Universal Time.
Location:	28 mi south of Hilo, Hawaii, The United States. Coordinates 19°19'37"N 155°7'22"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.7 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.052 .
Depth:	4 mi (7 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong 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 (2 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 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% 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 360 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 360 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.

An estimated 36,440 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 180 thousand) live in an area exposed to level II, where very weak shaking and no damage is expected.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 28 miles (45 km) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Hilo (Hawaii, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. Hilo experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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 V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

10 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 10 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 22 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.1 was detected 9 mi (15 km) west-northwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 67 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.9 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 February 9th, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 26 mi (42 km) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on May 4th, 2018.

In total, 81 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.7 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 2 months.

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

Sources

Last updated 17/09/24 03:38 (). 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 hv74419396
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240822_0000120
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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