Shallow M5.2 Earthquake hit in the South Atlantic Ocean 249km from Ushuaia (Argentina) on Tuesday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 21st, 2025. Last updated June 17th, 2025.

A shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck in the South Atlantic Ocean 249 kilometer from Ushuaia, Argentina in the evening of Tuesday May 20th, 2025. Such earthquakes in regions like this usually have a minimal impact on people and the economy.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Atlantic Ocean, 224 kilometers (139 mi) off the coast of Argentina, 249 kilometer south-southeast of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. 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 20, 2025 21:38 (Ushuaia Time) - May 21, 2025 00:38 Universal Time.
Location:	249 km SSE of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Coordinates 56°57'33"S 67°12'39"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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.

Not many people felt this earthquake

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 150 have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 50 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 110). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Chile , around 150 people, with impact levels up to III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Argentina . Located 249 kilometer (155 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) is the nearest significant population center.

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 4 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 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: 4 people.

3 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 3 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 34 km (21 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 hr later. It measured a magnitude of 4.1

In the days before this main shock, 5 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 6 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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.

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 May 4th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 67 km (42 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on May 2nd, 2025.

In total, 16 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 8 months.

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

Sources

Last updated 17/06/25 04:08 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000q0gl
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250521_0000006
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: