Shallow M5.4 AFTERSHOCK struck on Tuesday Afternoon in the Tasman Sea 193km from Invercargill (New Zealand).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 25th, 2025. Last updated April 2nd, 2025.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.4 aftershock struck in the Tasman Sea 193 kilometer from Invercargill, New Zealand in the afternoon of Tuesday March 25th, 2025. Around 80 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Tasman Sea, 102 kilometers (64 mi) off the coast of New Zealand, 193 kilometer west of Invercargill in Southland. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 12 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 25, 2025 15:56 (Auckland Time) 8 days ago - Mar 25, 2025 02:56 Universal Time.
Location:	193 km west of Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand. Coordinates 46°41'8"S 165°51'32"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 20 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.069 .
Depth:	12 km (8 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% 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 80 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 80 thousand 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.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 69,140 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of New Zealand .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
20	I	Not noticable	None
5,860	II	Very weak	None
69,140	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in New Zealand . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Invercargill in Southland, New Zealand. Invercargill is located 193 kilometer (120 mi) west of the epicenter. Invercargill experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
193 km (120 mi) E from epicenter	Invercargill Southland, New Zealand.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. 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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in New Zealand.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Tuatapere, Southland, New Zealand: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 6.7 earthquake struck 6 km (4 mi) east-southeast in advance of this 5.4 earthquake around 1 hr earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock	M 6.7	Mar 25, 2025 14:43 (Auckland Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	23 mins later Mar 25, 2025 15:05 (Auckland Time)	28 km (17 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.9	41 mins later Mar 25, 2025 15:24 (Auckland Time)	81 km (50 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	1 hr later Mar 25, 2025 15:53 (Auckland Time)	13 km (8 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock This Earthquake	M 5.4	1 hr later Mar 25, 2025 15:56 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	1 hr later Mar 25, 2025 16:07 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.2 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	2 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 16:35 (Auckland Time)	31 km (19 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	3 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 17:15 (Auckland Time)	28 km (18 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	5 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:04 (Auckland Time)	18 km (11 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.8	5 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:12 (Auckland Time)	4 km (2.5 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	6 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:30 (Auckland Time)	14 km (9 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	6 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:31 (Auckland Time)	6 km (4 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.0	6 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 20:54 (Auckland Time)	17 km (11 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	7 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 22:04 (Auckland Time)	2.8 km (1.7 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	9 hrs later Mar 25, 2025 23:38 (Auckland Time)	12 km (8 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	10 hrs later Mar 26, 2025 00:18 (Auckland Time)	8 km (5 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	11 hrs later Mar 26, 2025 01:30 (Auckland Time)	11 km (7 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	13 hrs later Mar 26, 2025 03:44 (Auckland Time)	66 km (41 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.3	14 hrs later Mar 26, 2025 04:44 (Auckland Time)	14 km (9 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	1 day later Mar 26, 2025 22:14 (Auckland Time)	11 km (7 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.8	2 days later Mar 27, 2025 03:11 (Auckland Time)	27 km (17 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.1	2 days later Mar 27, 2025 08:51 (Auckland Time)	17 km (10 mi) SSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.2	3 days later Mar 28, 2025 06:17 (Auckland Time)	20 km (13 mi) NNW 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.

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. In total, 8 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 year.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 12 km (8 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 02/04/25 03:08 (4 hours ago). 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.