A shallow and significant M5.3 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 20 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan in the evening of Monday December 8th, 2025. Another nearby country is Japan.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of Taiwan (7 mi offshore), 20 kilometer south-southeast 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: | Dec 8, 2025 19:24 (Taipei Time) - Dec 8, 2025 11:24 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 20 km SSE of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°48'22"N 121°40'48"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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
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 20 kilometer (12 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Taipei is located 139 km to the north. Hualien City is located 20 km to the north-northwest. Taichung is located 108 km to the west-northwest.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 20 km (12 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 74 km (46 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 95 km (59 mi) W from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 103 km (64 mi) W from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 104 km (65 mi) W from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 106 km (66 mi) N from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 108 km (67 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 113 km (70 mi) W from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 116 km (72 mi) W from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 126 km (78 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 132 km (82 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 136 km (85 mi) N from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 138 km (86 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 139 km (86 mi) N from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 146 km (91 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 147 km (91 mi) N from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 175 km (109 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 192 km (119 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 195 km (121 mi) SW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 215 km (134 mi) W from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 222 km (138 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 259 km (161 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 33 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 33 people have reported shaking in 18 places, all within Taiwan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 6 people.
- Yungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 5 people.
- Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 4 people.
- Hualian, Hualien, Taiwan: 3 people.
- Tainan, Tainan Shih, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Tachi, Taoyuan, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Tali, Taichung Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Huwei, Yunlin, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Chungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Shalu, Taichung Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.4 was detected 74 km (46 mi) south of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.4 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
2 days earlier Dec 7, 2025 06:48 (Taipei Time) | 43 km (27 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Dec 8, 2025 19:24 (Taipei Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
1 day later Dec 9, 2025 20:01 (Taipei Time) | 74 km (46 mi) S 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.
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 August 27th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 115 km (72 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 99 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 month.
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 5.3. 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 10/12/25 01:28 (). 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 us6000rtcw
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251208_0000193
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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