In the evening of Sunday October 13th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 2 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan. Other countries near the epicenter include Japan and China.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of Taiwan, 2 kilometer south-east 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: | Oct 13, 2024 19:36 (Taipei Time) - Oct 13, 2024 11:36 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 2 km SE of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°57'58"N 121°36'56"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 84 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 . |
| Depth: | 22 km (13 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 , Japan and China are all 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 2 kilometer (1 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Hualien City is located 2 km to the northwest. Taipei is located 121 km to the north. Taichung is located 97 km to the west.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 2 km (1 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 66 km (41 mi) W from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 89 km (55 mi) N from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 91 km (57 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 95 km (59 mi) W from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 97 km (60 mi) W from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 97 km (60 mi) W from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 106 km (66 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 107 km (66 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 113 km (70 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 114 km (71 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 118 km (73 mi) N from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 119 km (74 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 121 km (75 mi) N from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 130 km (81 mi) N from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 150 km (93 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 179 km (111 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 201 km (125 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 205 km (127 mi) SW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 211 km (131 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 236 km (147 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) E from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) NW from epicenter |
Jiangkou Fujian, China. |
| 299 km (186 mi) NW from epicenter |
Fuqing Fujian, China. |
Shaking reported by 59 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 59 people have reported shaking in 6 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:
- Hualian, Hualien, Taiwan: 40 people.
- Fenglin, Hualien, Taiwan: 15 people.
- Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Hsichih, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Luchou, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Yungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 31 km (19 mi) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 day later. It measured a magnitude of 4.6
In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.7
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
3 days earlier Oct 10, 2024 20:40 (Taipei Time) | 25 km (15 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
2 days earlier Oct 11, 2024 20:52 (Taipei Time) | 34 km (21 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Oct 13, 2024 19:36 (Taipei Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
24 hrs later Oct 14, 2024 19:20 (Taipei Time) | 27 km (17 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
1 day later Oct 14, 2024 21:17 (Taipei Time) | 31 km (19 mi) NE 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 29 km (18 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 141 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 (13 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/10/24 22:58 (). 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 us6000nyf8
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241013_0000111
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
