Written by on . Last updated October 31st, 2024.

In the early afternoon of Wednesday October 30th, 2024, a shallow and strong MAG-6.0 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 237 miles from Eugene, The United States. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 231 miles (372 km) off the coast of The United States, 237 miles west of Eugene in Oregon. 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: Oct 30, 2024 01:15PM (Los Angeles Time)
- Oct 30, 2024 20:15 Universal Time.
Location: 237 mi west of Eugene, Oregon, The United States.
Coordinates 43°32'38"N 127°47'57"W.
Map: Map of area around epicenter.
Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude: MAG 6.0
Detected by 4 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.4 .
Depth: 6 mi (10 km)
A very shallow depth.
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

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.

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 under the sea. Not this earthquake.
This earthquake had a magnitude of 6. 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.

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 76% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 100% 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 76% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 100% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Not many people felt this earthquake

People MMI Level Shaking Damage
0
I
Not noticable None
0
II
Very weak None
0
III
Weak Probably none
0
IV
Light Likely none
0
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

Coos Bay in Oregon, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 180 miles (290 km) west of Coos Bay.

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

Overview of nearby places

Distance Place
180 mi (290 km)
E from epicenter
Coos Bay

Oregon, The United States.
225 mi (362 km)
E from epicenter
Roseburg

Oregon, The United States.
236 mi (380 km)
ENE from epicenter
Corvallis

Oregon, The United States.
237 mi (382 km)
E from epicenter
Eugene

Oregon, The United States.
239 mi (384 km)
ESE from epicenter
Grants Pass

Oregon, The United States.
240 mi (387 km)
E from epicenter
Springfield

Oregon, The United States.
241 mi (388 km)
ENE from epicenter
Dallas

Oregon, The United States.
245 mi (394 km)
ENE from epicenter
Albany

Oregon, The United States.
Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.

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 0.

I Not felt
II Weak
III Weak
IV Light
V Moderate
VI Strong
VII Very Strong
VIII Severe
IX Violent
X Extreme
Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

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 2 places 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:

  • Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: 2 people.
  • Sidney, British Columbia, Canada: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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).

This is the strongest earthquake in 5 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 29th, 2019, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 4 mi (7 km) further west. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 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 years.

Sources

Last updated 31/10/24 00:38 (). 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 us7000np33
  2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241030_0000221
  3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
  4. Google Maps: Static API
  5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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