Under land 3 kilometer from Yujing in Taiwan, a shallow and significant M5.1 aftershock occurred just after midnight of Tuesday January 21st, 2025. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Another country near the epicenter is China.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Taiwan, 3 kilometer (2 mi) west-southwest of Yujing in Tainan City. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 21, 2025 00:26 (Taipei Time) - Jan 20, 2025 16:26 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 3 km WSW of Yujing, Tainan City, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°7'8"N 120°25'48"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 81 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.064 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Taiwan and China are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Yujing in Tainan City, Taiwan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 3 kilometer (2 mi) west-southwest of Yujing.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 242 km to the north-northeast. Tainan is located 26 km to the west-southwest. Kaohsiung is located 57 km to the south-southwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 3 km (2 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 26 km (16 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 57 km (35 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 67 km (42 mi) N from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 73 km (45 mi) S from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 77 km (48 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 92 km (57 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 94 km (58 mi) N from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 97 km (60 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 99 km (62 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 109 km (68 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 117 km (73 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 128 km (80 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 153 km (95 mi) NE from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 195 km (121 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 215 km (134 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 226 km (140 mi) NE from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 226 km (140 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 236 km (147 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 242 km (150 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NW from epicenter |
Jincheng Fukien, Taiwan. |
| 267 km (166 mi) NW from epicenter |
Jinjiang Fujian, China. |
| 271 km (168 mi) NW from epicenter |
Luoyang Fujian, China. |
| 274 km (170 mi) NW from epicenter |
Quanzhou Fujian, China. |
| 283 km (176 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Xiamen Fujian, China. |
| 291 km (181 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Jiangkou Fujian, China. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ximeicun Fujian, China. |
| 295 km (183 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Putian Fujian, China. |
Shaking reported by 3 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Taiwan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Fengshan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Miaoli, Miaoli, Taiwan: 1 person.
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 9 mins before this earthquake hit, a larger 6 magnitude earthquake struck 14 km (8 mi) north-northeast of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.1 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 6.0 |
Jan 21, 2025 00:17 (Taipei Time) | - |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
9 mins later Jan 21, 2025 00:26 (Taipei Time) | 14 km (8 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
13 mins later Jan 21, 2025 00:30 (Taipei Time) | 13 km (8 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
15 mins later Jan 21, 2025 00:32 (Taipei Time) | 11 km (7 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
40 mins later Jan 21, 2025 00:56 (Taipei Time) | 39 km (24 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
49 mins later Jan 21, 2025 01:06 (Taipei Time) | 6 km (4 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
1 hr later Jan 21, 2025 01:42 (Taipei Time) | 18 km (11 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
1 hr later Jan 21, 2025 01:46 (Taipei Time) | 7 km (4 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
3 hrs later Jan 21, 2025 03:29 (Taipei Time) | 12 km (7 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
4 hrs later Jan 21, 2025 04:05 (Taipei Time) | 13 km (8 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
4 hrs later Jan 21, 2025 04:28 (Taipei Time) | 13 km (8 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 132 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 28 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 20/01/25 21:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pl8l
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250120_0000190
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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