On Friday Afternoon an Unusually powerful M6.4 AFTERSHOCK struck in the South Atlantic Ocean 286km from Ushuaia (Argentina).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 2nd, 2025. Last updated May 19th, 2025.

In the South Atlantic Ocean 286 kilometer from Ushuaia, Argentina, an unusually powerful MAG-6.4 aftershock occurred in the afternoon of Friday May 2nd, 2025. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Atlantic Ocean, 253 kilometers (157 mi) off the coast of Argentina, 286 kilometer south-southeast of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 8 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 2, 2025 14:59 (Ushuaia Time) - May 2, 2025 17:59 Universal Time.
Location:	286 km SSE of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Coordinates 57°16'35"S 67°1'6"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.4 Detected by 9 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 .
Depth:	8 km (5 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

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 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% 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.

Not many people felt this earthquake

An estimated 40 have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 20 people are expected to be exposed to this level.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 40 people were exposed to shaking in Chile , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Argentina . Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 286 kilometer (178 mi) south-southeast of Ushuaia.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 6 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in one place in Argentina.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: 6 people.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 7.4 earthquake struck 91 km (56 mi) northwest in advance of this 6.4 earthquake around 5 hrs earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 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 10 years.

Sources

Last updated 19/05/25 19:48 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pwpu
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250502_0000266
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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