Written by on . Last updated December 3rd, 2024.

In the afternoon of Tuesday November 12th, 2024, a shallow MAG-4.4 earthquake hit under land 72 kilometer from Siliguri in India. Other nearby countries are Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in India, 72 kilometer (45 mi) north of Siliguri in West Bengal. 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 12, 2024 14:00 (Kolkata Time)
- Nov 12, 2024 08:30 Universal Time.
Location: 72 km north of Siliguri, West Bengal, India.
Coordinates 27°20'58"N 88°20'21"E.
Map: Map of area around epicenter.
Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude: MAG 4.4
Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 .
Depth: 10 km (6 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

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. India , Nepal , Bangladesh , Bhutan and China are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Gangtok in Sikkim, India. Gangtok is located 27 kilometer (17 mi) west of the epicenter.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Siliguri is located 72 km to the south. Dārjiling is located 36 km to the south. Rangpur is located 200 km to the south-southeast.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.

Overview of nearby places

Distance Place
27 km (17 mi)
E from epicenter
Gangtok

Sikkim, India.
34 km (21 mi)
SSE from epicenter
Kālimpong

West Bengal, India.
36 km (22 mi)
S from epicenter
Dārjiling

West Bengal, India.
52 km (32 mi)
S from epicenter
Kārsiyāng

West Bengal, India.
64 km (40 mi)
SW from epicenter
Ilām

Province 1, Nepal.
72 km (45 mi)
S from epicenter
Siliguri

West Bengal, India.
72 km (45 mi)
S from epicenter
Bagdogra

West Bengal, India.
75 km (47 mi)
S from epicenter
Naksalbāri

West Bengal, India.
93 km (58 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Bhadrapur

Province 1, Nepal.
99 km (62 mi)
SE from epicenter
Goyerkāta

West Bengal, India.
100 km (62 mi)
SSE from epicenter
Maināguri

West Bengal, India.
101 km (63 mi)
SSE from epicenter
Jalpāiguri

West Bengal, India.
105 km (65 mi)
S from epicenter
Thākurganj

Bihar, India.
107 km (66 mi)
SE from epicenter
Birpara

West Bengal, India.
107 km (66 mi)
SE from epicenter
Dhupgāri

West Bengal, India.
108 km (67 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Dhankutā

Province 1, Nepal.
112 km (70 mi)
W from epicenter
Khā̃dbāri̇̄

Province 1, Nepal.
115 km (71 mi)
S from epicenter
Panchagarh

Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
117 km (73 mi)
ESE from epicenter
Jaigaon

West Bengal, India.
118 km (73 mi)
ESE from epicenter
Phuntsholing

Chukha, Bhutan.
121 km (75 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Dharān

Province 1, Nepal.
121 km (75 mi)
ESE from epicenter
Hāsimāra

West Bengal, India.
121 km (75 mi)
S from epicenter
Islāmpur

West Bengal, India.
126 km (78 mi)
SE from epicenter
Fālākāta

West Bengal, India.
129 km (80 mi)
E from epicenter
Thimphu

Thimphu, Bhutan.
130 km (81 mi)
SW from epicenter
Īṭahari̇̄

Province 1, Nepal.
131 km (81 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Bahādurganj

Bihar, India.
144 km (89 mi)
SW from epicenter
Inaruwa

Province 1, Nepal.
144 km (89 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Kishanganj

Bihar, India.
145 km (90 mi)
SW from epicenter
Biratnagar

Province 1, Nepal.
147 km (91 mi)
S from epicenter
Thākurgaon

Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
150 km (93 mi)
SW from epicenter
Jogbani

Bihar, India.
152 km (94 mi)
SE from epicenter
Alīpur Duār

West Bengal, India.
154 km (96 mi)
E from epicenter
Punākha

Punakha, Bhutan.
156 km (97 mi)
SW from epicenter
Shahbazpur

Bihar, India.
157 km (98 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Arāria

Bihar, India.
158 km (98 mi)
SW from epicenter
Forbesganj

Bihar, India.
158 km (98 mi)
SE from epicenter
Koch Bihār

West Bengal, India.
166 km (103 mi)
S from epicenter
Pīrgaaj

Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
174 km (108 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Triyuga

Province 1, Nepal.
175 km (109 mi)
SE from epicenter
Dīnhāta

West Bengal, India.
180 km (112 mi)
E from epicenter
Tsirang

Chirang, Bhutan.
182 km (113 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Rājbirāj

Province 2, Nepal.
183 km (114 mi)
SSE from epicenter
Saidpur

Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
191 km (119 mi)
S from epicenter
Kāliyāganj

West Bengal, India.
194 km (121 mi)
S from epicenter
Dinājpur

Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
194 km (121 mi)
S from epicenter
Rāiganj

West Bengal, India.
194 km (121 mi)
SE from epicenter
Lalmonirhat

Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
195 km (121 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Purnia

Bihar, India.
196 km (122 mi)
SSE from epicenter
Parbatipur

Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
200 km (124 mi)
SSE from epicenter
Rangpur

Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
215 km (134 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Katihar

Bihar, India.
218 km (135 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Rikaze

Tibet, China.
221 km (137 mi)
SE from epicenter
Dhuburi

Assam, India.
244 km (152 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Sāhibganj

Jharkhand, India.
271 km (168 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Bhāgalpur

Bihar, India.
276 km (171 mi)
SE from epicenter
Tura

Meghalaya, India.
277 km (172 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Darbhanga

Bihar, India.
279 km (173 mi)
SSE from epicenter
Shibganj

Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh.
293 km (182 mi)
W from epicenter
Madhyapur Thimi

Bagmati Province, Nepal.
Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.

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 one place in India.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

  • Gezing, Sikkim, India: 3 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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 September 6th, 2024, when a 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 97 km (60 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on May 12th, 2015.

In total, 237 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.4 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 15 days.

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 4.4. 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 03/12/24 02:58 (). 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 us7000nrbv
  2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241112_0000094
  3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
  4. Google Maps: Static API
  5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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