By Frank Kamuntu
A moderate magnitude 4.5 earthquake hit 19.5 km (12 mi) away from Kamwenge, Western, Uganda, in the noon of Saturday, Aug 3, 2024, at 6.17 am local time (Africa/Kampala GMT +3).
The quake had a very shallow depth of 14 km (9 mi) and was felt by many near the epicenter. The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would.
| Date & time | Aug 3, 2024 03:17:01 UTC – 7 hours ago |
| Local time at epicenter | Saturday, Aug 3, 2024, at 06:17 am (Africa/Kampala GMT +3) |
| Status | Confirmed (manually revised) |
| Magnitude | 4.5 |
| Depth | 14 km |
| Epicenter latitude / longitude | 0.36°N / 30.48°E Kamwenge District, Uganda
Also near: |
| Seismic antipode | 0.36°S / 149.52°W |
| Shaking intensity | IV Light shaking near epicenter |
| Felt | 11 reports |
| Primary data source | GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences) |
| Nearest volcano | Fort Portal (46 km / 29 mi) |
| Weather at epicenter at time of quake | Overcast Clouds  20°C (68 F), humidity: 69%, wind: 1 m/s (2 kts) from ESE |
| Estimated seismic energy released | 3.5 x 1011 joules (98.6 megawatt hours, equivalent to 84.8 tons of TNT) | about seismic energy |
The closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Kasese, a town with 67,000 inhabitants in Uganda, in 48 km (30 mi) distance southwest of the epicenter. People likely experienced weak shaking there. Several smaller towns and villages are located closer to the epicenter and might have experienced stronger shaking. In the capital of Uganda, Kampala, 234 km (145 mi) away from the epicenter, the earthquake was probably felt as very weak shaking.
The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.
DISTANCE |
PLACE | MAX. SHAKING INTENSITY(*) | REGION | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 km (12 mi)
S of epicenter |
Kamwenge
(pop: 17,200) |
IV: Light | Western | Uganda |
| 34 km (21 mi)
NE of epicenter |
Kyenjojo
(pop: 18,600) |
III: Weak | Western | Uganda |
| 41 km (25 mi)
NW of epicenter |
Fort Portal
(pop: 42,700) |
III: Weak | Kabarole, Western | Uganda |
| 48 km (30 mi)
SW of epicenter |
Kasese
(pop: 67,300) |
III: Weak | Western | Uganda |
| 55 km (34 mi)
S of epicenter |
Ibanda
(pop: 31,000) |
III: Weak | Western | Uganda |
| 60 km (38 mi)
NW of epicenter |
Bundibugyo
(pop: 16,900) |
III: Weak | Western | Uganda |
| 66 km (41 mi)
W of epicenter |
Margherita
(pop: 5,110) |
III: Weak | Kasese, Western | Uganda |
| 74 km (46 mi)
NE of epicenter |
Kagadi
(pop: 2,100) |
III: Weak | Western | Uganda |
| 74 km (46 mi)
SE of epicenter |
Kiruhura
(pop: 14,000) |
III: Weak | Western | Uganda |
| 104 km (65 mi)
E of epicenter |
Mubende
(pop: 18,900) |
III: Weak | Central | Uganda |
| 107 km (67 mi)
S of epicenter |
Bwizibwera
(pop: 79,200) |
III: Weak | Mbarara, Western | Uganda |
| 109 km (68 mi)
S of epicenter |
Barara
(pop: 97,500) |
III: Weak | Western | Uganda |
| 113 km (70 mi)
W of epicenter |
New Beni
(pop: 232,000) |
III: Weak | Beni, Nord Kivu |  Congo – Kinshasa |
| 113 km (71 mi)
SE of epicenter |
Lyantonde
(pop: 8,040) |
II: Very weak | Central | Uganda |
| 134 km (84 mi)
W of epicenter |
Butembo
(pop: 154,600) |
II: Very weak | Nord Kivu | Congo – Kinshasa |
| 136 km (84 mi)
N of epicenter |
Bunia
(pop: 96,800) |
II: Very weak | Ituri | Congo – Kinshasa |
| 140 km (87 mi)
S of epicenter |
Nyachera
(pop: 30,500) |
II: Very weak | Ntungamo, Western | Uganda |
| 146 km (91 mi)
SW of epicenter |
Rukungiri
(pop: 14,000) |
II: Very weak | Western | Uganda |
| 154 km (96 mi)
NE of epicenter |
Hoima
(pop: 39,600) |
II: Very weak | Western | Uganda |
| 157 km (97 mi)
NE of epicenter |
Kiboga
(pop: 14,500) |
II: Very weak | Central | Uganda |
| 159 km (99 mi)
SE of epicenter |
Masaka
(pop: 65,400) |
II: Very weak | Central | Uganda |
| 165 km (103 mi)
SW of epicenter |
Kanungu
(pop: 14,600) |
II: Very weak | Western | Uganda |
| 166 km (103 mi)
SW of epicenter |
Ntungamo
(pop: 16,900) |
II: Very weak | Kanungu District, Western | Uganda |
| 172 km (107 mi)
E of epicenter |
Mityana
(pop: 41,100) |
II: Very weak | Central | Uganda |
| 187 km (116 mi)
S of epicenter |
Kabale
(pop: 43,500) |
II: Very weak | Western | Uganda |
| 196 km (122 mi)
SE of epicenter |
Nsunga
(pop: 20,000) |
II: Very weak | Missenyi District Council, Kagera |  Tanzania |
| 201 km (125 mi)
NE of epicenter |
Masindi
(pop: 31,500) |
II: Very weak | Western | Uganda |
| 219 km (136 mi)
E of epicenter |
Namasuba
(pop: 22,500) |
II: Very weak | Nakaseke District, Central | Uganda |
| 220 km (137 mi)
S of epicenter |
Byumba
(pop: 70,600) |
II: Very weak | Gicumbi, Northern |  Rwanda |
| 220 km (137 mi)
E of epicenter |
Wakiso
(pop: 20,500) |
II: Very weak | Central | Uganda |
| 225 km (140 mi)
E of epicenter |
Entebbe
(pop: 63,000) |
II: Very weak | Wakiso, Central | Uganda |
| 227 km (141 mi)
SW of epicenter |
Ruhengeri
(pop: 86,700) |
II: Very weak | Musanze, Northern | Rwanda |
| 228 km (142 mi)
E of epicenter |
Luwero
(pop: 28,300) |
II: Very weak | Central | Uganda |
| 230 km (143 mi)
E of epicenter |
Wobulenzi
(pop: 24,400) |
II: Very weak | Luwero District, Central | Uganda |
| 234 km (145 mi)
E of epicenter |
Kampala
(pop: 1,353,200) |
II: Very weak | Central | Uganda |
| 236 km (146 mi)
N of epicenter |
Paidha
(pop: 28,300) |
II: Very weak | Zombo District, Northern | Uganda |
| 239 km (149 mi)
SE of epicenter |
Bukoba
(pop: 70,600) |
II: Very weak | Bukoba, Kagera | Tanzania |
| 245 km (152 mi)
N of epicenter |
Nebbi
(pop: 30,400) |
II: Very weak | Northern | Uganda |
| 266 km (165 mi)
SW of epicenter |
Goma
(pop: 144,100) |
II: Very weak | Nord Kivu | Congo – Kinshasa |
| 267 km (166 mi)
SW of epicenter |
Gisenyi
(pop: 83,600) |
II: Very weak | Western | Rwanda |
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