In the evening of Friday September 27th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 157 miles from Eureka, The United States.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 172 miles (277 km) off the coast of The United States, 157 miles west-northwest of Eureka in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 27, 2024 08:04PM (Los Angeles Time) - Sep 28, 2024 03:04 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 157 mi WNW of Eureka, California, The United States. Coordinates 41°51'15"N 126°50'25"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 |
| Depth: | 6 mi (10 km) 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
This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is McKinleyville in California, The United States. McKinleyville is located 155 miles (250 km) west-northwest of the epicenter.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 155 mi (250 km) ESE from epicenter |
McKinleyville California, The United States. |
| 157 mi (252 km) ESE from epicenter |
Eureka California, The United States. |
| 158 mi (255 km) ESE from epicenter |
Arcata California, The United States. |
| 160 mi (258 km) ESE from epicenter |
Bayside California, The United States. |
| 170 mi (273 km) NE from epicenter |
Coos Bay Oregon, The United States. |
| 185 mi (297 km) ENE from epicenter |
Grants Pass Oregon, The United States. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Canada.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. At a distance of 0.6 mi (0.9 km) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 4.6
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit 14 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
14 hrs earlier Sep 27, 2024 05:49AM (Los Angeles Time) | 44 mi (71 km) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Sep 27, 2024 08:04PM (Los Angeles Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
2 mins later Sep 27, 2024 08:06PM (Los Angeles Time) | 0.6 mi (0.9 km) N 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.
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 March 27th, 2024, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 32 mi (52 km) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on December 8th, 2016.
In total, 40 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 3 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 6 mi (10 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 22/10/24 00:48 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000ngxr
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240928_0000023
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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