A shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 109 kilometer from Ishigaki, Japan in the morning of Wednesday December 4th, 2024. Taiwan is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 76 kilometers (47 mi) off the coast of Japan, 109 kilometer southwest of Ishigaki in Okinawa. 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: | Dec 4, 2024 09:09 (Tokyo Time) - Dec 4, 2024 00:09 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 179 km east of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°42'23"N 123°20'39"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 . |
| 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: Japan and Taiwan .
Ishigaki in Okinawa, Japan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 109 kilometer (68 mi) southwest of Ishigaki.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 237 km to the northwest. Taichung is located 275 km to the west. Banqiao is located 239 km to the northwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 109 km (68 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
| 179 km (111 mi) W from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 199 km (124 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 227 km (141 mi) NW from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 233 km (145 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Hirara Okinawa, Japan. |
| 237 km (147 mi) NW from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 239 km (149 mi) NW from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) W from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 246 km (153 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 252 km (157 mi) NW from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 264 km (164 mi) W from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 270 km (168 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 272 km (169 mi) W from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 274 km (170 mi) W from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 275 km (171 mi) W from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 283 km (176 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 285 km (177 mi) W from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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.
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 November 30th, 2024, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 16 km (10 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 143 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 26 days.
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 5.1. 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 04/12/24 23:48 (). 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 us7000nvrp
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241204_0000005
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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