Reviewed by USGSBosnia and Herzegovina2y ago
M5.4 earthquake 22 km ENE of Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Thursday, March 14, 2024, 03:06:47 UTC · 42.954°N, 18.688°E
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 22 km ENE of Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, March 14, 2024, 03:06:47 UTC, at a depth of 16.1 km (shallow). USGS received 248 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IX (violent). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on April 22, 2022.
- Magnitude
- 5.4
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 16 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 248
- Max intensity IX
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
423 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and African plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
16 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Podgorica, Montenegro, Serbia and Montenegro | III · Weak | 56 | 74 km |
| Čilipi, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Croatia | IV · Light | 34 | 59 km |
| Nikšić, Montenegro, Serbia and Montenegro | V · Moderate | 15 | 33 km |
| Kobilja Glava, Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina | IV · Light | 15 | 106 km |
| Sarajevo, Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina | IV · Light | 14 | 103 km |
| Tirana, Tirana, Albania | IV · Light | 10 | 203 km |
| Ulcinj, Montenegro, Serbia and Montenegro | IV · Light | 7 | 122 km |
| Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Croatia | IV · Light | 7 | 63 km |
| Split, Split-Dalmacija, Croatia | III · Weak | 7 | 193 km |
| Skopje, Skopje, Macedonia | III · Weak | 6 | 252 km |
| Borča, Central Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro | III · Weak | 5 | 255 km |
| Belgrade, Central Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro | III · Weak | 4 | 254 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.
- VI · Strong shaking
- 2,000 people
- V · Moderate shaking
- 67,000 people
- IV · Light shaking
- 783,000 people
- III · Weak shaking
- 8.4 million people
- II · Weak shaking
- 1.1 million people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- NiksiccapitalPopulation 58,000V · Moderate
- BilecaPopulation 13,000IV · Light
- GackoPopulation 3,400IV · Light
- PluzinecapitalPopulation 1,500IV · Light
- SavnikcapitalPopulation 633IV · Light
- ZabljakcapitalPopulation 1,900IV · Light
- SarajevocapitalPopulation 697,000IV · Light
- SplitcapitalPopulation 176,000IV · Light
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on April 3, 2024. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 198 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.96 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroApril 15, 1979 · 105 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.76 km NW of Lukovo, North MacedoniaNovember 30, 1967 · 232 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.59 km E of Stari Bar, MontenegroJune 1, 1905 · 106 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.415 km WSW of Mamurras, AlbaniaNovember 26, 2019 · 174 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.24 km ENE of Baška Voda, CroatiaJanuary 11, 1962 · 144 km W of this epicenter
- 6.28 km WSW of Budva, MontenegroMay 24, 1979 · 78 km S of this epicenter
- 6.24 km ESE of Rrëshen, AlbaniaAugust 4, 1905 · 169 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.22 km SE of Grabovci, CroatiaDecember 29, 1942 · 132 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 79 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,084 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1851M6.6
Vlore (Valona),Berat; Turkey
12 Oct 1851 · 285 km away · intensity XI
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1963M6.0
Macedonia: Skopje
26 Jul 1963 · 234 km away · intensity X
1,070 deaths$1.0 billion damage
- 1851
Berat
17 Oct 1851 · 285 km away · intensity X
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1979M6.9
Montenegro
15 Apr 1979 · 105 km away · intensity IX
131 deaths$2.7 billion damagetsunami
- 1905M6.6
Shkoder
1 Jun 1905 · 121 km away · intensity X
120 deaths$24 million damage
- 1866M6.6
Narta, Vlore, Kanina
2 Jan 1866 · 292 km away · intensity X
60 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.