A shallow and significant M5.3 foreshock struck in the Philippine Sea 44 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan in the evening of Monday May 5th, 2025. Another nearby country is Japan.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 47 kilometers (29 mi) off the coast of Taiwan, 44 kilometer east of Hualien City in Hualien County. 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 5, 2025 18:09 (Taipei Time) - May 5, 2025 10:09 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 44 km east of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°57'32"N 122°2'5"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 248 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 . |
| 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
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Taiwan and Japan are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan. Hualien City is located 44 kilometer (27 mi) east of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Taipei is located 131 km to the north-northwest. Hualien City is located 44 km to the west. Taichung is located 139 km to the west.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 44 km (27 mi) W from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 93 km (58 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) W from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 127 km (79 mi) NW from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 131 km (81 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 131 km (81 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 133 km (83 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 133 km (83 mi) W from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 137 km (85 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 137 km (85 mi) W from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 139 km (86 mi) W from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 139 km (86 mi) W from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 143 km (89 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 148 km (92 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 154 km (96 mi) W from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 185 km (115 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 215 km (134 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 220 km (137 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
| 231 km (144 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 232 km (144 mi) SW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 253 km (157 mi) W from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 254 km (158 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
Shaking reported by 8 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within Taiwan.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: 6 people.
- Hualian, Hualien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.7 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
43 mins earlier May 5, 2025 18:09 (Taipei Time) | 5 km (3 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
32 mins earlier May 5, 2025 18:21 (Taipei Time) | 15 km (9 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.7 |
25 mins earlier May 5, 2025 18:27 (Taipei Time) | 15 km (9 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.7 |
May 5, 2025 18:53 (Taipei Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
22 mins later May 5, 2025 19:15 (Taipei Time) | 56 km (35 mi) WNW 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 151 km (94 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 100 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 month.
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 17/05/25 11:18 (). 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 us7000px8b
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250505_0000131
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
