In the early afternoon of Saturday September 7th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 14 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, right off the coast of Taiwan (9 mi offshore), 14 kilometer east-southeast of Hualien City in Hualien County. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 22 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 7, 2024 13:16 (Taipei Time) - Sep 7, 2024 05:16 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 14 km ESE of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°55'1"N 121°43'49"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 108 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 . |
| Depth: | 22 km (14 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 14 kilometer (9 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 127 km to the north. Hualien City is located 14 km to the west-northwest. Taichung is located 109 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 |
|---|---|
| 14 km (9 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 78 km (48 mi) W from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 93 km (58 mi) N from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 101 km (63 mi) W from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 106 km (66 mi) W from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) W from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 109 km (68 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 116 km (72 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 117 km (73 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 123 km (76 mi) W from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 127 km (79 mi) N from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 128 km (80 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 135 km (84 mi) N from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 157 km (98 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 186 km (116 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 205 km (127 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 208 km (129 mi) SW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 222 km (138 mi) W from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 235 km (146 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 251 km (156 mi) E from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 3 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within 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.
- Yungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Taoyuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. At a distance of 25 km (15 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 17 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Sep 7, 2024 13:16 (Taipei Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
17 hrs later Sep 8, 2024 05:53 (Taipei Time) | 25 km (15 mi) W 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 August 15th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 19 km (12 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 142 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 26 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 22 km (14 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 16/09/24 05:38 (). 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 us6000nq8y
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240907_0000039
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
