Unusually powerful M7.4 Earthquake struck on Friday Morning in the South Pacific Ocean 439km from Punta Arenas (Chile).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 2nd, 2025. Last updated May 20th, 2025.

An unusually powerful Magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 439 kilometer from Punta Arenas, Chile in the morning of Friday May 2nd, 2025. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Argentina is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 110 kilometers (68 mi) off the coast of Chile, 439 kilometer south-southeast of Punta Arenas in Magallanes. 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:	May 2, 2025 09:58 (Ushuaia Time) - May 2, 2025 12:58 Universal Time.
Location:	219 km south of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Coordinates 56°46'54"S 68°12'31"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.4 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.042 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong 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.

Roughly 190 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 190 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 20 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 180 thousand) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Argentina , around 180 thousand people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). People were exposed to shaking in Chile as well.

Nearby towns and cities

Argentina and Chile are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 219 kilometer (136 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ushuaia is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is V.

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 44 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 44 people have reported shaking in 8 places in 2 countries (Argentina, Chile).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: 33 people.
• Punta Arenas, Magellanes, Chile: 4 people.
• Quilpué, Valparaíso, Chile: 2 people.
• Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina: 1 person.
• Concepción, Bío Bío, Chile: 1 person.
• Valdivia, Los Lagos, Chile: 1 person.
• Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 1 person.
• Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile: 1 person.

253 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 253 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 5 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-6.4 was detected 91 km (56 mi) south-east of this earthquake.

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

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 7.4 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Sources

Last updated 20/05/25 00:28 (). 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 us7000pwkn
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250502_0000169
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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