In the morning of Thursday September 12th, 2024, a shallow MAG-4.7 earthquake hit under land 8 miles from Thousand Oaks in The United States. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Another nearby country is Mexico.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 8 miles (13 km) south of Thousand Oaks in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 7 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
Date and Time: | Sep 12, 2024 07:28AM (Los Angeles Time) - Sep 12, 2024 14:28 Universal Time. |
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Location: | 8 mi south of Thousand Oaks, California, The United States. Coordinates 34°3'23"N 118°48'46"W. |
Map: | Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
Magnitude: | MAG 4.7 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.2 . |
Depth: | 7 mi (11 km) A very shallow depth. |
Max. Intensity: | V
Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
Tsunami Risk: | Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Potential tsunami risk
There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.
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 on land near a coastal area (2 mi from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 7 mi (11 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
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 23 million people exposed to shaking
An estimated 23 million 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 87,450 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 14 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Mexico .
People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
---|---|---|---|
2,825,000 | I |
Not noticable | None |
6,941,000 | II |
Very weak | None |
14,200,000 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
2,095,000 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
87,450 | 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 struck within proximity of multiple countries. The United States and Mexico are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Located 6 miles (10 km) south-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Agoura Hills (California, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. Agoura Hills experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly V. That level implies moderate shaking and very light damage.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Los Angeles is located 32 mi to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Thousand Oaks is located 8 mi to the north and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Long Beach is located 41 mi to the east-southeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).
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) |
---|---|---|
6 mi (10 km) NNE from epicenter |
Agoura Hills California, The United States. |
V
Moderate |
7 mi (12 km) NE from epicenter |
Agoura California, The United States. |
V
Moderate |
8 mi (13 km) N from epicenter |
Thousand Oaks California, The United States. |
V
Moderate |
12 mi (20 km) NE from epicenter |
Calabasas California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
14 mi (22 km) NE from epicenter |
West Hills California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
14 mi (23 km) NE from epicenter |
Woodland Hills California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
15 mi (24 km) N from epicenter |
Simi Valley California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
16 mi (25 km) NE from epicenter |
Canoga Park California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
16 mi (26 km) NNW from epicenter |
Moorpark California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
17 mi (27 km) NW from epicenter |
Camarillo California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
19 mi (30 km) NE from epicenter |
Chatsworth California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
19 mi (30 km) E from epicenter |
Santa Monica California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
19 mi (31 km) ENE from epicenter |
Encino California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
20 mi (32 km) NE from epicenter |
Northridge California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
21 mi (33 km) ESE from epicenter |
Venice California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
22 mi (35 km) ENE from epicenter |
Sherman Oaks California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
22 mi (36 km) ENE from epicenter |
Van Nuys California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
22 mi (36 km) NE from epicenter |
North Hills California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
23 mi (37 km) ENE from epicenter |
Valley Glen California, The United States. |
IV
Light |
23 mi (37 km) WNW from epicenter |
Oxnard California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
24 mi (38 km) E from epicenter |
Beverly Hills California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
24 mi (39 km) E from epicenter |
Culver City California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
26 mi (42 km) ENE from epicenter |
North Hollywood California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
27 mi (43 km) ENE from epicenter |
Universal City California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
27 mi (44 km) ESE from epicenter |
Inglewood California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
28 mi (45 km) ESE from epicenter |
Redondo Beach California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
28 mi (45 km) E from epicenter |
Hollywood California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
28 mi (45 km) ESE from epicenter |
Hawthorne California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
28 mi (45 km) NNE from epicenter |
Santa Clarita California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
29 mi (47 km) E from epicenter |
Koreatown California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
29 mi (47 km) NNE from epicenter |
Valencia California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
30 mi (48 km) ENE from epicenter |
Burbank California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
31 mi (50 km) ESE from epicenter |
Gardena California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
31 mi (50 km) ESE from epicenter |
Torrance California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
32 mi (51 km) NE from epicenter |
Canyon Country California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
32 mi (51 km) WNW from epicenter |
Ventura California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
32 mi (52 km) E from epicenter |
Los Angeles California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
32 mi (52 km) E from epicenter |
Glendale California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
34 mi (55 km) ESE from epicenter |
Carson California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
35 mi (56 km) E from epicenter |
Boyle Heights California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
35 mi (57 km) E from epicenter |
South Gate California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
35 mi (57 km) ESE from epicenter |
Compton California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
37 mi (59 km) E from epicenter |
East Los Angeles California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
39 mi (62 km) E from epicenter |
Pasadena California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
40 mi (64 km) E from epicenter |
Downey California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
41 mi (66 km) ESE from epicenter |
Long Beach California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
45 mi (72 km) E from epicenter |
El Monte California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
53 mi (86 km) ESE from epicenter |
Garden Grove California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
53 mi (86 km) ESE from epicenter |
Anaheim California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
54 mi (87 km) ESE from epicenter |
Huntington Beach California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
58 mi (94 km) ESE from epicenter |
Santa Ana California, The United States. |
III
Weak |
241 km (150 mi) SE from epicenter |
Tijuana Baja California, Mexico. |
I
Not felt |
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.
8 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 8 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 0.6 mi (0.9 km) east-southeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.4
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
---|---|---|---|
Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.7 |
Sep 12, 2024 07:28AM (Los Angeles Time) | - |
Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 mins later Sep 12, 2024 07:30AM (Los Angeles Time) | 0.9 mi (1.4 km) W from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 3.4 |
1 hr later Sep 12, 2024 08:40AM (Los Angeles Time) | 1 mi (1.6 km) ENE from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 2.8 |
2 hrs later Sep 12, 2024 09:15AM (Los Angeles Time) | 0.4 mi (0.7 km) E from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 hrs later Sep 12, 2024 09:16AM (Los Angeles Time) | 0.7 mi (1.2 km) SSW from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 3.4 |
2 hrs later Sep 12, 2024 09:37AM (Los Angeles Time) | 0.6 mi (0.9 km) ESE from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 2.5 |
5 hrs later Sep 12, 2024 12:01PM (Los Angeles Time) | 0.6 mi (0.9 km) ESE from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 3.2 |
21 hrs later Sep 13, 2024 04:56AM (Los Angeles Time) | 0.4 mi (0.7 km) NE from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 2.5 |
1 day later Sep 13, 2024 04:34PM (Los Angeles Time) | 0.6 mi (0.9 km) SE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 7th, 2024, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 74 mi (120 km) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on July 6th, 2019.
In total, 25 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 5 months.
Sources
Last updated 09/10/24 02:48 (). 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.