Shallow M5.5 Earthquake hit 125km from Rikaze in China on Monday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 11th, 2025. Last updated June 17th, 2025.

Under land 125 kilometer from Rikaze in China, a shallow and significant M5.5 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Monday May 12th, 2025. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage but are usually unlikely to result on large numbers of fatalities. Other countries near the epicenter include Nepal, India and Bhutan.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in China, 125 kilometer (78 mi) west of Rikaze in Tibet. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 9 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 12, 2025 05:11 (Shanghai Time) - May 11, 2025 21:11 Universal Time.
Location:	270 km NE of Kathmandu, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Coordinates 29°3'21"N 87°36'44"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 15 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.08 .
Depth:	9 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant economic impact

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Several homes destroyed in Lhatse.

Based on scientific estimates by the 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 YELLOW (significant). They expect an 35% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 91% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 10,000 million USD.

Roughly 3.1 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 3.1 million 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 VII, which corresponds with very strong shaking and likely moderate damage. Roughly 920 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 1.8 million) live in an area exposed to level II, where very weak shaking and no damage is expected.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 670 thousand people were exposed to shaking in China , with level VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage) as the highest recorded. In Nepal , around 1.8 million people. In India , around 360 thousand people. In Bhutan, shaking was experienced too.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
1,807,000	II	Very weak	None
1,096,000	III	Weak	Probably none
183,000	IV	Light	Likely none
10,030	V	Moderate	Very light
20,950	VI	Strong	Light
920	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

China , Nepal , India and Bhutan are all located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Rikaze in Tibet, China. Rikaze is located 125 kilometer (78 mi) west of the epicenter. Rikaze experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Kathmandu is located 270 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Siliguri is located 273 km to the south-southeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Pātan is located 272 km to the southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
125 km (78 mi) E from epicenter	Rikaze Tibet, China.	IV Light
191 km (119 mi) S from epicenter	Khā̃dbāri̇̄ Province 1, Nepal.	III Weak
216 km (134 mi) SSE from epicenter	Gangtok Sikkim, India.	III Weak
232 km (144 mi) S from epicenter	Dhankutā Province 1, Nepal.
234 km (145 mi) SSE from epicenter	Dārjiling West Bengal, India.
236 km (147 mi) SSE from epicenter	Kālimpong West Bengal, India.
241 km (150 mi) S from epicenter	Ilām Province 1, Nepal.
250 km (155 mi) SSE from epicenter	Kārsiyāng West Bengal, India.
251 km (156 mi) S from epicenter	Dharān Province 1, Nepal.
258 km (160 mi) SW from epicenter	Dhulikhel Bagmati Province, Nepal.
259 km (161 mi) SW from epicenter	Banepā Bagmati Province, Nepal.
262 km (163 mi) SW from epicenter	Panauti Bagmati Province, Nepal.
263 km (163 mi) SW from epicenter	Panauti̇̄ Bagmati Province, Nepal.
266 km (165 mi) SE from epicenter	Thimphu Thimphu, Bhutan.	III Weak
266 km (165 mi) SW from epicenter	Madhyapur Thimi Bagmati Province, Nepal.
267 km (166 mi) SSW from epicenter	Triyuga Province 1, Nepal.
268 km (167 mi) S from epicenter	Īṭahari̇̄ Province 1, Nepal.
270 km (168 mi) SW from epicenter	Kathmandu Bagmati Province, Nepal.
271 km (168 mi) SSE from epicenter	Naksalbāri West Bengal, India.
271 km (168 mi) SSE from epicenter	Bagdogra West Bengal, India.
272 km (169 mi) SW from epicenter	Pātan Bagmati Province, Nepal.
273 km (170 mi) SSE from epicenter	Siliguri West Bengal, India.
275 km (171 mi) SW from epicenter	Kirtipur Bagmati Province, Nepal.
275 km (171 mi) SE from epicenter	Punākha Punakha, Bhutan.
276 km (171 mi) S from epicenter	Inaruwa Province 1, Nepal.
282 km (175 mi) SSW from epicenter	Lahān Province 2, Nepal.
283 km (176 mi) S from epicenter	Bhadrapur Province 1, Nepal.
289 km (180 mi) S from epicenter	Bīrpur Bihar, India.
291 km (181 mi) S from epicenter	Biratnagar Province 1, Nepal.
292 km (181 mi) SSW from epicenter	Rājbirāj Province 2, Nepal.
295 km (183 mi) S from epicenter	Bhawanipur Bihar, India.
297 km (185 mi) SSE from epicenter	Goyerkāta West Bengal, India.
297 km (185 mi) S from epicenter	Jogbani Bihar, India.
297 km (185 mi) S from epicenter	Thākurganj Bihar, India.

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 VIII.

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 4 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in 3 places in 2 countries (India, Nepal).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Khadbari, Sankhuwasabha, Nepal: 2 people.
Shilīguri, Bangla, India: 1 person.
Bhimeshwar, Dolakha, Nepal: 1 person.

3 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 13 km (8 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 hr later. It measured a magnitude of 3.8

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
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.5	May 12, 2025 05:11 (Shanghai Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.7	25 mins later May 12, 2025 05:36 (Shanghai Time)	64 km (40 mi) SSE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.8	1 hr later May 12, 2025 06:18 (Shanghai Time)	13 km (8 mi) WSW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	2 days later May 14, 2025 12:14 (Shanghai Time)	51 km (32 mi) WSW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 7th, 2025, when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit 55 km (34 mi) further south-southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 2 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

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.

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	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 9 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 17/06/25 03:48 (). 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.