In the North Atlantic Ocean 136 kilometer from San Juan, Puerto Rico, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.0 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Saturday November 9th, 2024. Other countries near the epicenter include 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, 127 kilometers (79 mi) off the coast of Puerto Rico, 136 kilometer north-northeast of San Juan. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 9, 2024 06:15AM (Puerto Rico Time) - Nov 9, 2024 10:15 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 136 km NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Coordinates 19°30'3"N 65°24'48"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.033 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 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
Puerto Rico , U.S. Virgin Islands , British Virgin Islands and Anguilla are all located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Fajardo in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Fajardo is located 133 kilometer (83 mi) north of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. San Juan is located 136 km to the south-southwest. Bayamón is located 145 km to the south-southwest. Carolina is located 137 km to the south-southwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 133 km (83 mi) S from epicenter |
Fajardo Fajardo, Puerto Rico. |
| 136 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
| 137 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Carolina Carolina, Puerto Rico. |
| 139 km (86 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Charlotte Amalie Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| 139 km (86 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Cataño Cataño, Puerto Rico. |
| 142 km (88 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Trujillo Alto Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. |
| 142 km (88 mi) SW from epicenter |
Levittown Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 145 km (90 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Bayamón Bayamón, Puerto Rico. |
| 146 km (91 mi) SE from epicenter |
Road Town All regions, British Virgin Islands. |
| 147 km (91 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Guaynabo Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. |
| 148 km (92 mi) SW from epicenter |
Candelaria Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 156 km (97 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Humacao Humacao, Puerto Rico. |
| 156 km (97 mi) SW from epicenter |
Vega Baja Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 156 km (97 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Caguas Caguas, Puerto Rico. |
| 165 km (103 mi) SW from epicenter |
Manatí Manatí, Puerto Rico. |
| 166 km (103 mi) SW from epicenter |
Barceloneta Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. |
| 174 km (108 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Cayey Cayey, Puerto Rico. |
| 178 km (111 mi) SW from epicenter |
Arecibo Arecibo, Puerto Rico. |
| 184 km (114 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Guayama Guayama, Puerto Rico. |
| 209 km (130 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico. |
| 209 km (130 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Saint Croix Saint Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| 219 km (136 mi) SW from epicenter |
Aguadilla Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. |
| 222 km (138 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yauco Yauco, Puerto Rico. |
| 232 km (144 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mayagüez Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. |
| 286 km (178 mi) ESE from epicenter |
The Valley The Valley, Anguilla. |
| 292 km (181 mi) ESE 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.
11 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 11 smaller aftershocks. A 4.7 magnitude earthquake hit 2 sec later 16 km (10 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.4 was detected nearby this earthquake.
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 This Earthquake |
M 5.0 |
Nov 9, 2024 06:15AM (Puerto Rico Time) | - |
| Aftershock | 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.
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 May 15th, 2024, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 212 km (132 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on January 7th, 2020.
In total, 26 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 5 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 5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 20/11/24 10:38 (). 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.
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241109_0000110
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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