Shallow M5.7 Earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea near Hualien City (Taiwan) on Monday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 5th, 2025. Last updated May 17th, 2025.

In the evening of Monday May 5th, 2025, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit in the Philippine Sea 46 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan. Roughly 23 million people may have felt this earthquake. Another nearby country is Japan.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 49 kilometers (31 mi) off the coast of Taiwan, 46 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 18:53 (Taipei Time) - May 5, 2025 10:53 Universal Time.
Location:	46 km east of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°54'53"N 122°2'50"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 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 23 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 23 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 500 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 19 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 3 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Taiwan , around 23 million people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of Japan too.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
18,690,000	III	Weak	Probably none
4,646,000	IV	Light	Likely none
500	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 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 46 kilometer (29 mi) east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hualien City is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 136 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Hualien City is located 46 km to the west and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Taichung is located 141 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
46 km (29 mi) W from epicenter	Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan.	IV Light
98 km (61 mi) NNW from epicenter	Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan.	IV Light
110 km (68 mi) W from epicenter	Puli Nantou County, Taiwan.	IV Light
132 km (82 mi) NW from epicenter	Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan.	III Weak
133 km (83 mi) W from epicenter	Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan.	III Weak
136 km (85 mi) NNW from epicenter	Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan.	III Weak
136 km (85 mi) NNW from epicenter	Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan.	IV Light
138 km (86 mi) NNW from epicenter	Keelung Keelung, Taiwan.	III Weak
139 km (86 mi) W from epicenter	Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan.	III Weak
141 km (88 mi) W from epicenter	Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan.	III Weak
141 km (88 mi) W from epicenter	Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan.	III Weak
142 km (88 mi) NNW from epicenter	Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan.	III Weak
147 km (91 mi) NW from epicenter	Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan.	III Weak
150 km (93 mi) W from epicenter	Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan.	IV Light
155 km (96 mi) W from epicenter	Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan.	IV Light
184 km (114 mi) WSW from epicenter	Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan.	III Weak
213 km (132 mi) WSW from epicenter	Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan.	III Weak
219 km (136 mi) ENE from epicenter	Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan.
229 km (142 mi) SW from epicenter	Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan.	III Weak
229 km (142 mi) SW from epicenter	Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan.	III Weak
251 km (156 mi) SSW from epicenter	Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan.
253 km (157 mi) W from epicenter	Magong Penghu County , Taiwan.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. 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 12 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 12 people have reported shaking in 9 places in 2 countries (Taiwan, China).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: 3 people.
Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 2 people.
Hualian, Hualien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Lotung, Ilan, Taiwan: 1 person.
Fengshan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Hsinchuang, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Hsintien, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Luchou, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Xiamen, Fujian, China: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 22 mins later 56 km (35 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 3 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 43 mins before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-5.3 was detected nearby this earthquake.

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
Foreshock	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 This Earthquake	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.

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.

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 January 20th, 2025, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 173 km (108 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.

In total, 36 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 3 months.

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 5.7. 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 11:48 (). 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.