Latest quakes worldwide in the past 24 hours on Thursday, May 16, 2024 - list, stats and map
| Latest today See all | Mag. 4.4 earthquake 27 km north of Hualien City - Taiwan - |
| Latest felt | Mag. 3.8 earthquake 5 km SW of Pāhala - Hawaii - |
| Strongest today | Mag. 5.4 83 km WNW of Rabaul - Papua New Guinea - |
- 5 quakes above magnitude 5
- 31 quakes between magnitude 4 and 5
- 82 quakes between magnitude 3 and 4
- 239 quakes between magnitude 2 and 3
- 605 quakes below magnitude 2 that people normally don't feel.
Date and Time | Mag Depth | Nearest Volcano | Location | Details | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 10:46 pm (Taipei) | 4.4 28 km |  27 km north of Hualien City, Taiwan I FELT IT | Info | ||
| May 16, 07:46 am (Los Angeles) | 2.3 6.4 km |  San Benito County, 15 mi east of Soledad, Monterey County, California, United States | Info | ||
| May 16, 09:32 am (GMT -5) | 2.5 23 km |  South Pacific Ocean, Peru | Info | ||
| May 16, 10:28 pm (Manila) | 2.7 26 km |  Philippine Sea, 33 km northeast of Bislig City, Philippines | Info | ||
| May 16, 10:27 pm (Manila) | 3.7 12 km | Apayao, Cordillera, 65 km east of Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos, Philippines I FELT IT | Info | ||
| May 16, 10:23 am (Santiago) | 2.9 125 km |  32 km northeast of Calama, El Loa, Antofagasta, Chile | Info | ||
| May 16, 07:19 am (Los Angeles) | 2.6 9.7 km | San Diego County, 26 mi southwest of Indian Wells, Riverside County, California, United States I FELT IT | Info | ||
| May 16, 09:08 am (GMT -5) | 4.0 39 km | South Pacific Ocean, 60 km southwest of Chimbote, Ancash, Peru I FELT IT | Info | ||
| May 16, 05:05 pm (Athens) | 3.3 12 km |  36 km west of Tripoli, Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece I FELT IT | Info | ||
| May 16, 07:31 pm (Kolkata) | 2.8 5 km |  East Kameng, 81 km northwest of Itanagar, Papum Pare, Arunachal Pradesh, India I FELT IT | Info | ||
| May 16, 07:49 am (GMT -6) | 2.7 7 km |  North Pacific Ocean, 94 km southeast of San Jose, Escuintla, Guatemala I FELT IT | Info |
Worldwide Quake-O-Meter
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Earthquake statistics
Average number of earthquakes
- Mag. 8 or higher: 0.76 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 1.3 years)
- Mag. 7 or higher: 12.5 quakes per year
- Mag. 6 or higher: 117 quakes per year (or 9.8 quakes per month)
- Mag. 5 or higher: 2,000 quakes per year (or 5.5 quakes per day)
- Mag. 4 or higher: 17,000 quakes per year (or 48 quakes per day)
- Mag. 3 or higher: 58,000 quakes per year (or 159 quakes per day)
- Mag. 2 or higher: 150,000 quakes per year (or 409 quakes per day)
- Mag. 1 or higher: 290,000 quakes per year (or 791 quakes per day)
Number of earthquakes over time
Earthquake FAQ
+When was the latest earthquake anywhere in the world?
The last earthquake in the world occurred 13 minutes ago:
A moderate magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit 27 km (16 mi) away from Hualien City, Taiwan, Taiwan, late in the evening of Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 10.46 pm local time (Asia/Taipei GMT +8). The quake had a very shallow depth of 28 km (18 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).
+Where did the last earthquake above magnitude 4 happen in the world?
The last quake above magnitude 4 today occurred 13 minutes ago:
A moderate magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit 27 km (16 mi) away from Hualien City, Taiwan, Taiwan, late in the evening of Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 10.46 pm local time (Asia/Taipei GMT +8). The quake had a very shallow depth of 28 km (18 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).
Smaller quakes below magnitude 4 are much more frequent and happen somewhere in the world every few minutes. However, many (if not most) of them go unrecorded, because not all areas in the world are covered by sensitive-enough seismic networks able to detect them.
+Where do most earthquakes occur in the world?
By far, most earthquakes in the world occur along the margins of the Pacific Ocean, followed by the vast Alpine-Himalayan mountain belts that stretch from southern Europe through Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Pakistan, to northern India, Nepal and southern China.
Most of these regions are in oceanic or continental collision zones where tectonic plates collide with each other and release energy in form of earthquakes.
+How many quakes were there in the world in the past 24 hours?
In the past 24 hours, there were 5 quakes of magnitude 5.0 or above, 31 quakes between 4.0 and 5.0, 82 quakes between 3.0 and 4.0, and 239 quakes between 2.0 and 3.0. There were also 605 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel.
+What was the strongest quake in the world in the past 24 hours?
The strongest earthquake in the world in the past 24 hours occurred 8 hours ago:
A strong magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the Bismarck Sea near the coast of 
Papua New Guinea in the afternoon of Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 4.31 pm local time (GMT +10). The quake had a very shallow depth of 10 km (6 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).
+What category of earthquake is considered an emergency?
Most earthquakes are small and cause no damage, but occasionally, there are bigger ones that can cause considerable damage to people and infrastructure. How much damage a quake does depends a lot on a number of factors including:
- magnitude
- depth beneath the surface
- duration and motion of the shaking
- local geology
- population density
- overall building standards of the affected area
- risk awareness and preparedness
Quakes below magnitude 5 rarely cause damage, while quakes above around magnitude 7 almost always result in extensive damage, even in areas with very good building standards such as in the western US or Japan. Quakes from magnitudes 8 often result in wide-spread or even catastrophic destruction.
+What kind of damage can an earthquake do?
The ground shaking of earthquakes can cause soil liquefaction, landslides and avalanches, the opening of fissures in the ground, deformation of the ground, cracks in walls and other structures leading to their collapse. As secondary and often even more severe damage, this can lead to fires, gas leaks, or even tsunamis if the sea floor is moved in a way to displace a large mass of water.
+How dangerous are earthquakes?
Earthquakes are among the (if not THE) most dangerous type of natural disaster.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), quakes caused nearly 750,000 deaths globally in the period 1998-2017, more than half of all deaths related to natural disasters.
+How many people are affected by earthquakes every year?
Each day, many thousands of people feel an earthquake somewhere. Stronger quakes can be felt by millions of people.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 750,000 people were killed by quakes and more than 125 million people injured, made homeless or displaced or otherwise seriously affected by earthquakes during the 20 years from 1998-2017.
Embed or share standalone map
You can use the standalone version of our interactive earthquake map or embed it on your website:Largest Quakes worldwide
Date and Time | Mag Depth | ###DIST_LABEL### | Location | Details | Map |
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