In the North Atlantic Ocean 56 kilometer from Ponta Delgada, Portugal, an unusually powerful Magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred in the morning of Tuesday March 11th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Atlantic Ocean, 1739 kilometers (1080 mi) off the coast of Portugal, 56 kilometer east-southeast of Ponta Delgada in Azores. 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 11, 2025 07:14 (Azores Time) - Mar 11, 2025 08:14 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 56 km ESE of Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal. Coordinates 37°33'23"N 25°4'37"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 605 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.024 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Located 56 kilometer (35 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ponta Delgada (Azores, Portugal) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 56 km (35 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ponta Delgada Azores, Portugal. |
Shaking reported by 29 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 29 people have reported shaking in 7 places in 2 countries (Morocco, Portugal).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Vila Franca do Campo, Açores, Portugal: 9 people.
- Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal: 6 people.
- Rosto do Cão, Açores, Portugal: 5 people.
- Arrifes, Açores, Portugal: 3 people.
- Fajã de Baixo, Açores, Portugal: 3 people.
- Rabo de Peixe, Açores, Portugal: 2 people.
- Rabat, Rabat-Salé-Zammour-Zaer, Morocco: 1 person.
7 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 7 smaller aftershocks. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.2 was detected 5 km (3 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Mar 11, 2025 07:14 (Azores Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
19 mins later Mar 11, 2025 07:33 (Azores Time) | 10 km (6 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
21 mins later Mar 11, 2025 07:35 (Azores Time) | 7 km (5 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
39 mins later Mar 11, 2025 07:53 (Azores Time) | 6 km (3 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 hrs later Mar 11, 2025 09:30 (Azores Time) | 5 km (3 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
3 hrs later Mar 11, 2025 09:49 (Azores Time) | 7 km (4 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
1 day later Mar 12, 2025 17:13 (Azores Time) | 5 km (3 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
1 day later Mar 12, 2025 18:03 (Azores Time) | 6 km (4 mi) NW 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.
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).This is an unusually powerful earthquake
No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 5.3 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. 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 12/03/25 19:28 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000py3k
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250311_0000105
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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