Just after midnight of Wednesday September 4th, 2024, a shallow M4.9 earthquake hit in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin 17 kilometer from Paphos, Cyprus. Another nearby country is Türkiye.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin, right off the coast of Cyprus (10 mi offshore), 17 kilometer west-southwest of Paphos in Pafos. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 11 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 4, 2024 00:29 (Nicosia Time) - Sep 3, 2024 21:29 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 17 km WSW of Paphos, Pafos, Cyprus. Coordinates 34°42'32"N 32°15'38"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.9 Detected by 156 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.045 . |
| Depth: | 11 km (7 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
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Cyprus and Türkiye .
Paphos in Pafos, Cyprus is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 17 kilometer (11 mi) west-southwest of Paphos.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Antalya is located 282 km to the north-northwest. Limassol is located 71 km to the east. Nicosia is located 113 km to the east-northeast.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 17 km (11 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Paphos Pafos, Cyprus. |
| 71 km (44 mi) E from epicenter |
Limassol Limassol, Cyprus. |
| 109 km (68 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Stróvolos Nicosia, Cyprus. |
| 113 km (70 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Nicosia Nicosia, Cyprus. |
| 119 km (74 mi) NE from epicenter |
Kyrenia Keryneia, Cyprus. |
| 127 km (79 mi) E from epicenter |
Larnaca Larnaka, Cyprus. |
| 160 km (99 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Famagusta Ammochostos, Cyprus. |
| 161 km (100 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Anamur Mersin, Türkiye. |
| 167 km (104 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Protaras Ammochostos, Cyprus. |
| 168 km (104 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Bozyazı Mersin, Türkiye. |
| 174 km (108 mi) N from epicenter |
Gazipaşa Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 199 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Mahmutlar Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 205 km (127 mi) N from epicenter |
Alanya Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 222 km (138 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ermenek Karaman, Türkiye. |
| 240 km (149 mi) NE from epicenter |
Silifke Mersin, Türkiye. |
| 240 km (149 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Mut Mersin, Türkiye. |
| 243 km (151 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Manavgat Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 252 km (157 mi) NW from epicenter |
Beykonak Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 254 km (158 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tekirova Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 254 km (158 mi) N from epicenter |
Hadim Konya, Türkiye. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kemer Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 263 km (163 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Belek Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 267 km (166 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Serik Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 278 km (173 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Muratpaşa Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 280 km (174 mi) NE from epicenter |
Erdemli Mersin, Türkiye. |
| 282 km (175 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Antalya Antalya, Türkiye. |
| 288 km (179 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Karaman Karaman, Türkiye. |
Shaking reported by 198 people in 4 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 198 people have reported shaking in 30 places in 4 countries (Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Israel).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Pafos, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 73 people.
- Chlorakas, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 30 people.
- Koloni, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 19 people.
- Pegeia, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 13 people.
- Kissonerga, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 10 people.
- Tala, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 7 people.
- Lemesos, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 7 people.
- Konia, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 6 people.
- Larnaca, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 3 people.
- Pissouri, Government controlled area, Cyprus: 2 people.
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. A 2.6 magnitude earthquake hit 13 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
13 hrs earlier Sep 3, 2024 11:03 (Nicosia Time) | 91 km (56 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.9 |
Sep 4, 2024 00:29 (Nicosia Time) | - |
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
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 June 10th, 2022, when a 5 magnitude earthquake hit 148 km (92 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on January 11th, 2022.
In total, 13 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.9 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 9 months.
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 4.9. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 11 km (7 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 17/09/24 22:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000npk6
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240903_0000233
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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