In the evening of Saturday November 30th, 2024, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 96 kilometer from Ishigaki, Japan. Another nearby country is Taiwan.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 61 kilometers (38 mi) off the coast of Japan, 96 kilometer southwest of Ishigaki in Okinawa. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 24 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 30, 2024 18:07 (Tokyo Time) - Nov 30, 2024 09:07 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 96 km SW of Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan. Coordinates 23°50'24"N 123°23'29"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 15 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 . |
| Depth: | 24 km (15 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: Japan and Taiwan .
Ishigaki in Okinawa, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 96 kilometer (60 mi) southwest of Ishigaki.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 231 km to the northwest. Taichung is located 277 km to the west. Banqiao is located 235 km to the west-northwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 96 km (60 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
| 182 km (113 mi) W from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 195 km (121 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 220 km (137 mi) NW from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 221 km (137 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Hirara Okinawa, Japan. |
| 231 km (144 mi) NW from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 235 km (146 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 242 km (150 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 247 km (153 mi) W from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 248 km (154 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 268 km (167 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 269 km (167 mi) W from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 275 km (171 mi) W from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) W from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) W from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 286 km (178 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 290 km (180 mi) W from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, 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 Japan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Chatan, Okinawa, Japan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 33 mins earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
33 mins earlier Nov 30, 2024 17:34 (Tokyo Time) | 6 km (4 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Nov 30, 2024 18:07 (Tokyo Time) | - |
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 August 15th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 166 km (103 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 101 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 month.
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 24 km (15 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 03/12/24 08:08 (). 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 us7000nv3k
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241130_0000105
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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