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

Under land 56 kilometer from Puyo in Ecuador, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Friday November 8th, 2024. Colombia is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Ecuador, 56 kilometer (35 mi) east of Puyo in Pastaza. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 196 km.

Date and Time: Nov 8, 2024 05:37 (Guayaquil Time)
- Nov 8, 2024 10:37 Universal Time.
Location: 56 km east of Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador.
Coordinates 1°29'18"S 77°29'41"W.
Map: Map of area around epicenter.
Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude: MAG 5.1
Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 .
Depth: 196 km (122 mi)
An intermediate depth.
Tsunami Risk: Tsunami very unlikely
Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case.
Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

Ecuador and Colombia are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 56 kilometer (35 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Puyo (Pastaza, Ecuador) is the nearest significant population center.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Quito is located 181 km to the northwest. Guayaquil is located 277 km to the west-southwest. Ambato is located 128 km to the west-northwest.

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

Overview of nearby places

Distance Place
56 km (35 mi)
W from epicenter
Puyo

Pastaza, Ecuador.
65 km (40 mi)
NNW from epicenter
Tena

Napo, Ecuador.
96 km (60 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Boca Suno

Orellana, Ecuador.
114 km (71 mi)
SW from epicenter
Macas

Morona-Santiago, Ecuador.
118 km (73 mi)
W from epicenter
Pelileo

Tungurahua, Ecuador.
127 km (79 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Puerto Francisco de Orellana

Orellana, Ecuador.
128 km (80 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Ambato

Tungurahua, Ecuador.
130 km (81 mi)
W from epicenter
Riobamba

Chimborazo, Ecuador.
139 km (86 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Latacunga

Cotopaxi, Ecuador.
146 km (91 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Pujilí

Cotopaxi, Ecuador.
161 km (100 mi)
NW from epicenter
Machachi

Pichincha, Ecuador.
168 km (104 mi)
W from epicenter
Guaranda

Bolívar, Ecuador.
181 km (112 mi)
NW from epicenter
Quito

Pichincha, Ecuador.
185 km (115 mi)
NNW from epicenter
Cayambe

Pichincha, Ecuador.
187 km (116 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Nueva Loja

Sucumbios, Ecuador.
202 km (126 mi)
W from epicenter
Montalvo

Los Ríos, Ecuador.
202 km (126 mi)
WNW from epicenter
La Maná

Cotopaxi, Ecuador.
205 km (127 mi)
SW from epicenter
Azogues

Cañar, Ecuador.
210 km (130 mi)
NNW from epicenter
Otavalo

Imbabura, Ecuador.
211 km (131 mi)
SW from epicenter
Gualaceo

Azuay, Ecuador.
216 km (134 mi)
NNW from epicenter
Ibarra

Imbabura, Ecuador.
218 km (135 mi)
W from epicenter
Ventanas

Los Ríos, Ecuador.
218 km (135 mi)
NNW from epicenter
Atuntaqui

Imbabura, Ecuador.
225 km (140 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Quevedo

Los Ríos, Ecuador.
229 km (142 mi)
W from epicenter
Babahoyo

Los Ríos, Ecuador.
230 km (143 mi)
SW from epicenter
Cuenca

Azuay, Ecuador.
230 km (143 mi)
WSW from epicenter
La Troncal

Cañar, Ecuador.
232 km (144 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Naranjito

Guayas, Ecuador.
232 km (144 mi)
NW from epicenter
Santo Domingo de los Colorados

Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador.
243 km (151 mi)
W from epicenter
Velasco Ibarra

Guayas, Ecuador.
244 km (152 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Milagro

Guayas, Ecuador.
248 km (154 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Puerto Asís

Putumayo, Colombia.
251 km (156 mi)
W from epicenter
Vinces

Los Ríos, Ecuador.
253 km (157 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Samborondón

Guayas, Ecuador.
254 km (158 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Yaguachi Nuevo

Guayas, Ecuador.
257 km (160 mi)
N from epicenter
Tulcán

Carchi, Ecuador.
258 km (160 mi)
N from epicenter
Ipiales

Nariño, Colombia.
268 km (167 mi)
W from epicenter
Balzar

Guayas, Ecuador.
270 km (168 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Naranjal

Guayas, Ecuador.
273 km (170 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Eloy Alfaro

Guayas, Ecuador.
277 km (172 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Guayaquil

Guayas, Ecuador.
279 km (173 mi)
W from epicenter
El Triunfo

Guayas, Ecuador.
287 km (178 mi)
N from epicenter
Túquerres

Nariño, Colombia.
299 km (186 mi)
NW from epicenter
Rosa Zarate

Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.

Shaking reported by 13 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 13 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Ecuador.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

  • Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador: 11 people.
  • Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador: 2 people.

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).

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 June 18th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 283 km (176 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on February 22nd, 2019.

In total, 24 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 5 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.

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
Not this earthquake.
This earthquake occurred at a depth of 196 km (122 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 02/12/24 13:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

  1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nqkx
  2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241108_0000113
  3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
  4. Google Maps: Static API
  5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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