A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the South China Sea 204 kilometer from Kaohsiung, Taiwan in the evening of Wednesday November 12th, 2025. Another country near the epicenter is The Philippines.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South China Sea, 116 kilometers (72 mi) off the coast of Taiwan, 204 kilometer south-southeast of Kaohsiung. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 27 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 12, 2025 20:02 (Taipei Time) - Nov 12, 2025 12:02 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 204 km SSE of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Coordinates 20°54'46"N 121°3'8"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 121 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.052 . |
| Depth: | 27 km (17 mi) A quite 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
Taiwan and The Philippines are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hengchun in Pingtung County, Taiwan. Hengchun is located 125 kilometer (78 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 125 km (78 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 184 km (114 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 204 km (127 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 247 km (153 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 253 km (157 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 291 km (181 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Aparri Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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.
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 July 20th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 148 km (92 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on September 18th, 2022.
In total, 77 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 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
| 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 27 km (17 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 05/12/25 15:08 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rmxz
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251112_0000227
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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