A Magnitude 4.7 aftershock struck in the North Atlantic Ocean 152 kilometer from San Juan, Puerto Rico in the early morning of Saturday November 9th, 2024. Other nearby countries are U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and Anguilla.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Atlantic Ocean, 142 kilometers (88 mi) off the coast of Puerto Rico, 152 kilometer north-northeast of San Juan. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 74 km.
| Date and Time: | Nov 9, 2024 06:15AM (Puerto Rico Time) - Nov 9, 2024 10:15 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 152 km NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Coordinates 19°37'26"N 65°20'15"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.7 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.033 . |
| Depth: | 74 km (46 mi) An intermediate 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 struck within proximity of multiple countries. Puerto Rico , U.S. Virgin Islands , British Virgin Islands and Anguilla are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Fajardo in Fajardo, Puerto Rico is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 148 kilometer (92 mi) north-northeast of Fajardo.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. San Juan is located 152 km to the south-southwest. Bayamón is located 161 km to the south-southwest. Carolina is located 153 km to the south-southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 148 km (92 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Fajardo Fajardo, Puerto Rico. |
| 149 km (93 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Charlotte Amalie Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| 152 km (94 mi) SSW from epicenter |
San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
| 153 km (95 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Carolina Carolina, Puerto Rico. |
| 153 km (95 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Road Town All regions, British Virgin Islands. |
| 155 km (96 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Cataño Cataño, Puerto Rico. |
| 158 km (98 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Trujillo Alto Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. |
| 158 km (98 mi) SW from epicenter |
Levittown Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 161 km (100 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Bayamón Bayamón, Puerto Rico. |
| 163 km (101 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Guaynabo Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. |
| 164 km (102 mi) SW from epicenter |
Candelaria Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 171 km (106 mi) SW from epicenter |
Vega Baja Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 172 km (107 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Humacao Humacao, Puerto Rico. |
| 172 km (107 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Caguas Caguas, Puerto Rico. |
| 180 km (112 mi) SW from epicenter |
Manatí Manatí, Puerto Rico. |
| 182 km (113 mi) SW from epicenter |
Barceloneta Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. |
| 189 km (117 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Cayey Cayey, Puerto Rico. |
| 193 km (120 mi) SW from epicenter |
Arecibo Arecibo, Puerto Rico. |
| 200 km (124 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Guayama Guayama, Puerto Rico. |
| 220 km (137 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Saint Croix Saint Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| 225 km (140 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico. |
| 233 km (145 mi) SW from epicenter |
Aguadilla Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. |
| 238 km (148 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yauco Yauco, Puerto Rico. |
| 247 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mayagüez Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. |
| 286 km (178 mi) ESE from epicenter |
The Valley The Valley, Anguilla. |
| 294 km (183 mi) SE from epicenter |
Marigot All regions, Saint Martin. |
Shaking reported by 29 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 29 people have reported shaking in one place in British Virgin Islands.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands: 29 people.
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5 earthquake struck 16 km (10 mi) south-southwest in advance of this 4.7 earthquake around 2 sec earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
1 day earlier Nov 7, 2024 08:28PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 84 km (52 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Nov 7, 2024 11:39PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 87 km (54 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.0 |
Nov 9, 2024 06:15AM (Puerto Rico Time) | - |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 4.7 |
2 sec later Nov 9, 2024 06:15AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 16 km (10 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
54 mins later Nov 9, 2024 07:09AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 41 km (25 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
54 mins later Nov 9, 2024 07:09AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 41 km (25 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
2 hrs later Nov 9, 2024 08:02AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 41 km (25 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
2 hrs later Nov 9, 2024 08:08AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 27 km (17 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
19 hrs later Nov 10, 2024 01:03AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 14 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
20 hrs later Nov 10, 2024 01:59AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 12 km (7 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
1 day later Nov 10, 2024 11:49AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 9 km (5 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
1 day later Nov 10, 2024 04:13PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 92 km (57 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
3 days later Nov 11, 2024 09:01PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 25 km (15 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
3 days later Nov 12, 2024 01:16AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 17 km (11 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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. In total, 46 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.7 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 4.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 74 km (46 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/11/24 10:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake pr2024314000
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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