On Monday Night an Unusually powerful M5.4 Earthquake struck in the North Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon (Portugal).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 26th, 2024. Last updated October 24th, 2024.

An unusually powerful MAG-5.4 earthquake struck in the North Atlantic Ocean 84 kilometer from Lisbon, Portugal in the early morning of Monday August 26th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 4.8 million people. Another nearby country is Spain.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Atlantic Ocean, 56 kilometers (35 mi) off the coast of Portugal, 84 kilometer south-southwest of Lisbon. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 26, 2024 05:11 (Lisbon Time) - Aug 26, 2024 04:11 Universal Time.
Location:	84 km SSW of Lisbon, Portugal. Coordinates 38°0'24"N 9°27'54"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 786 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.021 .
Depth:	18 km (11 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 4.8 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 4.8 million 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 3,085,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 4.6 million people were exposed to shaking in Portugal , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded. Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of Spain too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Portugal and Spain are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Sesimbra in District of Setúbal, Portugal is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 58 kilometer (36 mi) south-southwest of Sesimbra. Sesimbra experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Lisbon is located 84 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Amadora is located 86 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Setúbal is located 76 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely 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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IV.

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 1868 people in 4 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1868 people have reported shaking in 260 places in 4 countries (Spain, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Lisbon, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 338 people.
• Cascais, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 66 people.
• Lagos, Algarve, Portugal: 61 people.
• Setúbal, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 57 people.
• Parede, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 46 people.
• São Domingos de Rana, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 42 people.
• Pontinha, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 40 people.
• Almada, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 32 people.
• Moscavide, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 32 people.
• Caldas da Rainha, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Portugal: 30 people.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

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.

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 5.4 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

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 24/10/24 07:18 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000n9fh
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240826_0000037
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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