M5.4 Earthquake 22 km ENE of Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina — March 14, 2024
2024-03-14 03:06:47 UTC (2024-03-14) · approx. 4:06 AM UTC+1 local
Felt by 248 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.4 (very strong).
On March 14, 2024 at 03:06 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck 22 km ENE of Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at a depth of 16.1 km and coordinates 42.9540°, 18.6883°. The earthquake was reported felt by 248 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.4 (very strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 196 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 664, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Niksic (population 58,212).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 6.4 (very strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Strong shaking felt by everyone. Heavy furniture may move. Books fall from shelves. Plaster and chimneys may crack. Damage is generally slight in well-built structures.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 248 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 8,445,849 |
| MMI 4 | light | 783,344 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 66,708 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 2,014 |
Earthquake Details
18.6883°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake near Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina?
The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck 22 km ENE of Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 14, 2024 at 03:06 UTC had a depth of 16.1 km. It was felt by 248 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.4 (very strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 42.9540°, 18.6883°, which is 22 km ENE of Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The nearest populated place is Niksic (population 58,212).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.4 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000mirj). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, March 14, 2024). M5.4 Earthquake 22 km ENE of Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina — March 14, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000mirj/