Significant M5.5 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Evening near Machala in Ecuador.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 22nd, 2025. Last updated November 9th, 2025.

A significant M5.5 earthquake struck under land 44 kilometer from Machala in Ecuador in the evening of Tuesday October 21st, 2025. Around 10 million people have been exposed to shaking. Another nearby country is Peru.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Ecuador, 44 kilometer (27 mi) south-southeast of Machala in El Oro. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 74 km.

Date and Time:	Oct 21, 2025 19:05 (Guayaquil Time) - Oct 22, 2025 00:05 Universal Time.
Location:	44 km SSE of Machala, El Oro, Ecuador. Coordinates 3°37'17"S 79°48'47"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.075 .
Depth:	74 km (46 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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.

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 10 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 10 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 423,900 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 5.4 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 8 million people were exposed to shaking in Ecuador , with level V (moderate shaking, very light damage) as the highest recorded. In Peru , around 2.4 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

Ecuador and Peru are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 16 kilometer (10 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Piñas (El Oro, Ecuador) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Piñas is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Guayaquil is located 159 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Machala is located 44 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Cuenca is located 120 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

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

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 26 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 26 people have reported shaking in 11 places, all within Ecuador.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador: 10 people.
• Loja, Loja, Ecuador: 6 people.
• Santa Lucía, Guayas, Ecuador: 2 people.
• Piñas, El Oro, Ecuador: 1 person.
• Arenillas, El Oro, Ecuador: 1 person.
• Pasaje, El Oro, Ecuador: 1 person.
• Santa Rosa, El Oro, Ecuador: 1 person.
• Machala, El Oro, Ecuador: 1 person.
• Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador: 1 person.
• Gualaquiza, Morona Santiago, Ecuador: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4 was detected 23 km (14 mi) west of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 18th, 2023, when a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit 93 km (58 mi) further north. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 13 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 9 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

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

Sources

Last updated 09/11/25 02:08 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rik7
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251022_0000001
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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