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

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 20th, 2025.

Just after midnight of Tuesday January 21st, 2025, a shallow and strong Magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit under land 38 kilometer from Tainan in Taiwan. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Roughly 22 million people may have felt this earthquake. Another country near the epicenter is China.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Taiwan, 38 kilometer (24 mi) north-east of Tainan 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 00:17 (Taipei Time) - Jan 20, 2025 16:17 Universal Time.
Location:	38 km NE of Tainan, Tainan City, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°14'2"N 120°28'30"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:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe 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 76% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 98% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 22 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 22 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VIII, which corresponds with severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage. Roughly 0 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by a large group of people (around 9 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 3 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 19 million people were exposed to shaking in Taiwan , with level VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage) as the highest recorded. In China , around 3.3 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 12 kilometer (7 mi) north of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Yujing is estimated to be around level VII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 228 km to the north-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Kaohsiung is located 71 km to the south-southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Tainan is located 38 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VIII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 185 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 185 people have reported shaking in 46 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: 27 people.
• Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Shih, Taiwan: 19 people.
• Tainan, Tainan Shih, Taiwan: 18 people.
• Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 18 people.
• Fengshan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan: 18 people.
• Chiayi, Chiayi Shih, Taiwan: 7 people.
• Taoyuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan: 5 people.
• Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 5 people.
• Xiamen, Fujian, China: 4 people.
• Chupei, Hsinchu Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.

10 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 10 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 14 km (8 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 9 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 5.1

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 144 km (89 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.

In total, 20 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 20/01/25 21:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

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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