In the morning of Wednesday April 9th, 2025, a significant MAG-5.0 earthquake hit under land 59 kilometer from Taipei in Taiwan. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Other nearby countries are Japan and China.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Taiwan, 59 kilometer (37 mi) south-southeast of Taipei in Taipei City. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 73 km.
| Date and Time: | Apr 9, 2025 09:53 (Taipei Time) - Apr 9, 2025 01:53 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 59 km SSE of Taipei, Taipei City, Taiwan. Coordinates 24°35'41"N 121°49'47"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 . |
| Depth: | 73 km (45 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (3 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually 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. Taiwan , Japan and China are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Located 20 kilometer (12 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Yilan (Yilan County, Taiwan) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Taipei is located 59 km to the north-northwest. Banqiao is located 59 km to the northwest. Taichung is located 126 km to the west-southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 20 km (12 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 59 km (37 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 59 km (37 mi) NW from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 60 km (37 mi) N from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 63 km (39 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 70 km (43 mi) NW from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 72 km (45 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 90 km (56 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 112 km (70 mi) SW from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 126 km (78 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 136 km (85 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 140 km (87 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 144 km (89 mi) SW from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 146 km (91 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 163 km (101 mi) SW from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 215 km (134 mi) SW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 237 km (147 mi) E from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
| 243 km (151 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 255 km (158 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 269 km (167 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 275 km (171 mi) NW from epicenter |
Tantou Fujian, China. |
| 275 km (171 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 277 km (172 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Fuqing Fujian, China. |
| 283 km (176 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Jiangkou Fujian, China. |
| 299 km (186 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Putian Fujian, China. |
Shaking reported by 51 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 51 people have reported shaking in 17 places in 2 countries (Taiwan, Japan).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: 24 people.
- Luchou, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.
- Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 3 people.
- Taoyuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Chungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Hsichih, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Hsinchuang, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Hsintien, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Chupei, Hsinchu Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.3 was detected 96 km (60 mi) south-east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.0 |
Apr 9, 2025 09:53 (Taipei Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 days later Apr 11, 2025 07:59 (Taipei Time) | 96 km (60 mi) SE 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.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
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 April 8th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 136 km (85 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 231 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 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 16 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 | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (3 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 73 km (45 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 29/04/25 00:48 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000q4v3
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250409_0000021
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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