A shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake struck 98 miles from The Philippines around noon of Monday November 18th, 2024. Taiwan is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake struck 98 miles (158 km) from The Philippines 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 18, 2024 11:35 (Taipei Time) - Nov 18, 2024 03:35 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 260 km SE of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Coordinates 20°46'22"N 121°52'1"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 123 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.052 . |
| 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
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Taiwan and The Philippines .
Hengchun in Pingtung County, Taiwan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 180 kilometer (112 mi) south-east of Hengchun.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 180 km (112 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 239 km (149 mi) NW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 270 km (168 mi) S from epicenter |
Aparri Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 299 km (186 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 300 km (186 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Philippines.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Basco, Cagayan Valley, Philippines: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 6th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 183 km (114 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on September 18th, 2022.
In total, 54 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 2 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 5.2. 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 21/11/24 03:08 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nscj
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241118_0000043
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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