In the evening of Saturday January 25th, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 foreshock hit under land 39 kilometer from Tainan in Taiwan. 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, 39 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 25, 2025 19:49 (Taipei Time) - Jan 25, 2025 11:49 Universal Time. |
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Location: | 39 km NE of Tainan, Tainan City, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°13'16"N 120°30'26"E. |
Map: | ![]() Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 . |
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. |
Impact
The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:
One person injured in Nanxi; several homes and buildings damaged in the Dongshan area.
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Taiwan and China are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Yujing in Tainan City, Taiwan. Yujing is located 12 kilometer (7 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Taipei is located 228 km to the north-northeast. Kaohsiung is located 70 km to the south-southwest. Tainan is located 39 km to the southwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
Distance | Place |
---|---|
12 km (7 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
39 km (24 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
54 km (34 mi) N from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
64 km (40 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
70 km (43 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
79 km (49 mi) N from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
82 km (51 mi) N from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
84 km (52 mi) S from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
84 km (52 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
95 km (59 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
101 km (63 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
105 km (65 mi) N from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
137 km (85 mi) S from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
140 km (87 mi) NE from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
182 km (113 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
201 km (125 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
213 km (132 mi) NE from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
213 km (132 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
222 km (138 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
228 km (142 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
246 km (153 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
260 km (162 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Jincheng Fukien, Taiwan. |
265 km (165 mi) NW from epicenter |
Jinjiang Fujian, China. |
268 km (167 mi) NW from epicenter |
Luoyang Fujian, China. |
271 km (168 mi) NW from epicenter |
Quanzhou Fujian, China. |
284 km (176 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Xiamen Fujian, China. |
285 km (177 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Jiangkou Fujian, China. |
290 km (180 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Putian Fujian, China. |
291 km (181 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ximeicun Fujian, China. |
Shaking reported by 28 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 28 people have reported shaking in 15 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:
- Tainan, Tainan Shih, Taiwan: 5 people.
- Chiayi, Chiayi Shih, Taiwan: 3 people.
- Fengshan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan: 3 people.
- Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung Shih, Taiwan: 3 people.
- Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 3 people.
- Taoyuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Yuanlin, Changhwa, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Kangshan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Puli, Nantou, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Pingtung, Pingtung, Taiwan: 1 person.
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.2 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
---|---|---|---|
Foreshock | M 4.3 |
3 days earlier Jan 23, 2025 05:31 (Taipei Time) | 14 km (9 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
Foreshock | M 4.1 |
3 days earlier Jan 23, 2025 15:46 (Taipei Time) | 17 km (11 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
Foreshock | M 4.1 |
2 days earlier Jan 24, 2025 01:00 (Taipei Time) | 16 km (10 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
Foreshock | M 4.0 |
2 days earlier Jan 24, 2025 17:16 (Taipei Time) | 13 km (8 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
Foreshock | M 4.8 |
2 days earlier Jan 24, 2025 19:18 (Taipei Time) | 4 km (2.5 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
Foreshock | M 4.9 |
1 day earlier Jan 25, 2025 06:01 (Taipei Time) | 6 km (4 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
12 hrs earlier Jan 25, 2025 19:49 (Taipei Time) | 14 km (9 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
Foreshock | M 4.5 |
11 hrs earlier Jan 25, 2025 21:00 (Taipei Time) | 17 km (11 mi) N from Main Shock. |
Foreshock | M 4.2 |
8 hrs earlier Jan 26, 2025 00:07 (Taipei Time) | 12 km (8 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
Foreshock | M 4.7 |
7 hrs earlier Jan 26, 2025 00:10 (Taipei Time) | 50 km (31 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
Main Shock | M 5.2 |
Jan 26, 2025 07:38 (Taipei Time) | - |
Aftershock | M 4.1 |
17 hrs later Jan 27, 2025 00:35 (Taipei Time) | 7 km (4 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 4.2 |
18 hrs later Jan 27, 2025 02:06 (Taipei Time) | 15 km (10 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 5.0 |
1 day later Jan 27, 2025 08:18 (Taipei Time) | 83 km (52 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 4.4 |
1 day later Jan 27, 2025 09:25 (Taipei Time) | 75 km (47 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 4.2 |
1 day later Jan 27, 2025 09:58 (Taipei Time) | 13 km (8 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 days later Jan 27, 2025 22:59 (Taipei Time) | 14 km (9 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
Aftershock | M 4.0 |
2 days later Jan 28, 2025 07:23 (Taipei Time) | 10 km (6 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
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.
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.
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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 20th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 7 km (4 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
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 15/02/25 13:58 (). 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.