On Saturday Evening a Shallow M5.3 Earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean near Eureka (The United States).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 15th, 2024. Last updated December 21st, 2024.

In the evening of Saturday December 14th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 60 miles from Eureka, The United States. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 56 miles (90 km) off the coast of The United States, 60 miles west-southwest of Eureka in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 14, 2024 11:21PM (Los Angeles Time) - Dec 15, 2024 07:21 Universal Time.
Location:	60 mi WSW of Eureka, California, The United States. Coordinates 40°24'51"N 125°11'1"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 69 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.2 .
Depth:	6 mi (10 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 380 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 380 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 200 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 330 thousand) live in an area exposed to level II, where very weak shaking and no damage is expected.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 60 miles (96 km) west-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Eureka (California, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. Eureka experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly II. That level implies very weak shaking and no damage.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

23 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 23 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.8 was detected 15 mi (24 km) east-southeast of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 24 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake hit 19 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

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

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 December 5th, 2024, when a 7 magnitude earthquake hit 9 mi (14 km) further east-southeast. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 20 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 6 months.

Sources

Last updated 21/12/24 00:08 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake nc75103356
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241215_0000063
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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