Written by on . Last updated November 2nd, 2024.

Under land 60 kilometer from Libertador General San Martín in Argentina, a shallow and significant M5.0 earthquake occurred in the early afternoon of Monday October 14th, 2024. Another nearby country is Bolivia.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Argentina, 60 kilometer (37 mi) east-southeast of Libertador General San Martín in Jujuy. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 17 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time: Oct 14, 2024 12:48 (Jujuy Time)
- Oct 14, 2024 15:48 Universal Time.
Location: 60 km ESE of Libertador General San Martín, Jujuy, Argentina.
Coordinates 23°56'44"S 64°12'50"W.
Map: Map of area around epicenter.
Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude: MAG 5.0
Detected by 149 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.046 .
Depth: 17 km (11 mi)
A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk: Tsunami very unlikely
While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's.
Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

Argentina and Bolivia are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Libertador General San Martín in Jujuy, Argentina. Libertador General San Martín is located 60 kilometer (37 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter.

Major cities near this earthquake: Salta is located 153 km to the southwest. San Salvador de Jujuy is located 113 km to the west-southwest. Tarija is located 273 km to the north-northwest.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

Distance Place
60 km (37 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Libertador General San Martín

Jujuy, Argentina.
73 km (45 mi)
WSW from epicenter
San Pedro de Jujuy

Jujuy, Argentina.
83 km (52 mi)
N from epicenter
Embarcación

Salta, Argentina.
91 km (57 mi)
N from epicenter
San Ramón de la Nueva Orán

Salta, Argentina.
107 km (66 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Palpalá

Jujuy, Argentina.
113 km (70 mi)
WSW from epicenter
San Salvador de Jujuy

Jujuy, Argentina.
130 km (81 mi)
S from epicenter
Joaquín V. González

Salta, Argentina.
136 km (85 mi)
N from epicenter
Bermejo

Tarija, Bolivia.
153 km (95 mi)
SW from epicenter
Salta

Salta, Argentina.
156 km (97 mi)
NNE from epicenter
General Mosconi

Salta, Argentina.
164 km (102 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Tartagal

Salta, Argentina.
250 km (155 mi)
NW from epicenter
Villazón

Potosí, Bolivia.
273 km (170 mi)
NNW from epicenter
Tarija

Tarija, Bolivia.
Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.

Shaking reported by 107 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 107 people have reported shaking in 4 places, all within Argentina.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

  • Libertador General San Martín, Jujuy, Argentina: 46 people.
  • San Pedro, Jujuy, Argentina: 26 people.
  • San Ramón de la Nueva Orán, Salta, Argentina: 24 people.
  • Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina: 11 people.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

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 21st, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 263 km (163 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on May 10th, 2022.

In total, 66 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 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 2 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always 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 Not this earthquake.
This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.
Not this earthquake.
This earthquake had a magnitude of 5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 17 km (11 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 02/11/24 17:38 (). 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.

  1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000nyme
  2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241014_0000147
  3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
  4. Google Maps: Static API
  5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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