Shallow M6.0 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Night near Tainan in Taiwan.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 20th, 2025. Last updated February 22nd, 2025.

Just after midnight of Tuesday January 21st, 2025, a shallow and strong M6.0 earthquake hit under land 39 kilometer from Tainan in Taiwan. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Around 17 million people have been exposed to shaking. Another nearby country is China.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Taiwan, 39 kilometer (24 mi) east-northeast of Tainan in Tainan City. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 16 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 21, 2025 00:17 (Taipei Time) - Jan 20, 2025 16:17 Universal Time.
Location:	39 km ENE of Tainan, Tainan City, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°10'4"N 120°32'48"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 50 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	16 km (10 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 17 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 17 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 568,700 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by a large group of people (around 8 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Taiwan , around 16 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). In China , around 1.3 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Taiwan and China . Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Japan.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Yujing in Tainan City, Taiwan. Yujing is located 10 kilometer (6 mi) east-northeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Yujing is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Taipei is located 232 km to the north-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Kaohsiung is located 66 km to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Tainan is located 39 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 237 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 237 people have reported shaking in 55 places in 2 countries (Taiwan, China).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Yungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 35 people.
• Tainan, Tainan Shih, Taiwan: 23 people.
• Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 23 people.
• Fengshan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan: 22 people.
• Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Shih, Taiwan: 21 people.
• Chiayi, Chiayi Shih, Taiwan: 9 people.
• Taoyuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan: 7 people.
• Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 5 people.
• Luchou, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.
• Hsinchuang, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.

19 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 19 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 9 mins later 12 km (7 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 15th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 140 km (87 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.

In total, 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 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 6 months.

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

Sources

Last updated 22/02/25 03:18 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pl8h
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250120_0000184
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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