In the afternoon of Saturday March 8th, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake hit under land 152 kilometer from Rikaze in China. Other nearby countries are Nepal, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in China, 152 kilometer (94 mi) west-southwest of Rikaze in Tibet. 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: | Mar 8, 2025 02:35PM (Kathmandu Time) - Mar 8, 2025 08:50 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 237 km ENE of Kathmandu, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Coordinates 28°34'50"N 87°31'5"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 98 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 . |
| 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
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Nepal , China , India , Bhutan and Bangladesh are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Located 137 kilometer (85 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Khā̃dbāri̇̄ (Province 1, Nepal) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Kathmandu is located 237 km to the west-southwest. Siliguri is located 226 km to the south-southeast. Pātan is located 238 km to the west-southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 137 km (85 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Khā̃dbāri̇̄ Province 1, Nepal. |
| 152 km (94 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Rikaze Tibet, China. |
| 176 km (109 mi) SE from epicenter |
Gangtok Sikkim, India. |
| 179 km (111 mi) S from epicenter |
Dhankutā Province 1, Nepal. |
| 187 km (116 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Dārjiling West Bengal, India. |
| 190 km (118 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Ilām Province 1, Nepal. |
| 192 km (119 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Kālimpong West Bengal, India. |
| 198 km (123 mi) S from epicenter |
Dharān Province 1, Nepal. |
| 203 km (126 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Kārsiyāng West Bengal, India. |
| 214 km (133 mi) S from epicenter |
Īṭahari̇̄ Province 1, Nepal. |
| 215 km (134 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Triyuga Province 1, Nepal. |
| 222 km (138 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Banepā Bagmati Province, Nepal. |
| 222 km (138 mi) S from epicenter |
Inaruwa Province 1, Nepal. |
| 222 km (138 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Naksalbāri West Bengal, India. |
| 223 km (139 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Bagdogra West Bengal, India. |
| 225 km (140 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Panauti Bagmati Province, Nepal. |
| 226 km (140 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Panauti̇̄ Bagmati Province, Nepal. |
| 226 km (140 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Siliguri West Bengal, India. |
| 231 km (144 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Lahān Province 2, Nepal. |
| 232 km (144 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Madhyapur Thimi Bagmati Province, Nepal. |
| 233 km (145 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Bhadrapur Province 1, Nepal. |
| 237 km (147 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kathmandu Bagmati Province, Nepal. |
| 238 km (148 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Pātan Bagmati Province, Nepal. |
| 238 km (148 mi) S from epicenter |
Biratnagar Province 1, Nepal. |
| 239 km (149 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Rājbirāj Province 2, Nepal. |
| 241 km (150 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kirtipur Bagmati Province, Nepal. |
| 241 km (150 mi) S from epicenter |
Bhawanipur Bihar, India. |
| 243 km (151 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Thimphu Thimphu, Bhutan. |
| 244 km (152 mi) S from epicenter |
Jogbani Bihar, India. |
| 250 km (155 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Siraha Province 2, Nepal. |
| 254 km (158 mi) S from epicenter |
Shahbazpur Bihar, India. |
| 255 km (158 mi) S from epicenter |
Forbesganj Bihar, India. |
| 256 km (159 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Punākha Punakha, Bhutan. |
| 256 km (159 mi) SE from epicenter |
Goyerkāta West Bengal, India. |
| 258 km (160 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Maināguri West Bengal, India. |
| 259 km (161 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Jalpāiguri West Bengal, India. |
| 259 km (161 mi) SW from epicenter |
Janakpur Province 2, Nepal. |
| 260 km (162 mi) S from epicenter |
Bahādurganj Bihar, India. |
| 263 km (163 mi) SE from epicenter |
Birpara West Bengal, India. |
| 266 km (165 mi) SE from epicenter |
Jaigaon West Bengal, India. |
| 266 km (165 mi) SE from epicenter |
Phuntsholing Chukha, Bhutan. |
| 266 km (165 mi) SE from epicenter |
Dhupgāri West Bengal, India. |
| 266 km (165 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Islāmpur West Bengal, India. |
| 270 km (168 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Panchagarh Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. |
| 270 km (168 mi) S from epicenter |
Arāria Bihar, India. |
| 272 km (169 mi) SE from epicenter |
Hāsimāra West Bengal, India. |
| 276 km (171 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Hetauda Bagmati Province, Nepal. |
| 279 km (173 mi) S from epicenter |
Kishanganj Bihar, India. |
| 285 km (177 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Jhanjhārpur Bihar, India. |
| 286 km (178 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Madhubani Bihar, India. |
| 289 km (180 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Supaul Bihar, India. |
| 298 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter |
Sītāmarhi Bihar, India. |
| 299 km (186 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Thākurgaon Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. |
Shaking reported by 4 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 4 places, all within Nepal.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Nepal: 1 person.
- Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal: 1 person.
- Lalitpur, Lalitpur, Nepal: 1 person.
- Dharan, Sunsari, Nepal: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 30 mins later 37 km (23 mi) south of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Mar 8, 2025 14:35 (Kathmandu Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
30 mins later Mar 8, 2025 15:04 (Kathmandu Time) | 37 km (23 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
12 hrs later Mar 9, 2025 02:45 (Kathmandu Time) | 10 km (6 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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.
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 February 27th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 174 km (108 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on April 25th, 2015.
In total, 37 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 3 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
| 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 10/03/25 00:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pxlv
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250308_0000090
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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