[bd476]

RayChuang88 wrote: " The depth of the earthquake is 20 miles below the surface. I’m not sure if there would be huge levels of damage. If that earthquake was 10 miles below the surface, then the damage and casualty toll would be huge."

Ray, the depth is 56.8 KM or 35 miles deep and is considered a shallow quake.

From USGS:

Shallow earthquakes are between 0 and 70 km deep; intermediate earthquakes, 70 - 300 km deep; and deep earthquakes, 300 - 700 km deep. In general, the term "deep-focus earthquakes" is applied to earthquakes deeper than 70 km. All earthquakes deeper than 70 km are localized within great slabs of shallow lithosphere that are sinking into the Earth's mantle.

USGS: Measuring the Size of an Earthquake

[Windflier]

From USGS: Shallow earthquakes are between 0 and 70 km deep...

It really irks me when U.S. government agencies use metric measurements in official documents and public announcements. The metric system may be fine for practical use in science, but it doesn't communicate to a population that doesn't use it.

Most Americans don't know a kilometer from a furlong, and can't readily visualize those distances.