In the Philippine Sea 82 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Tuesday May 12th, 2026. 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), 82 kilometer south of Hualien City in Hualien County. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 23 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 12, 2026 14:53 (Taipei Time) - May 12, 2026 06:53 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 82 km south of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°14'46"N 121°31'52"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 . |
| Depth: | 23 km (14 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
Taiwan and Japan are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan. Hualien City is located 82 kilometer (51 mi) south of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Taipei is located 200 km to the north. Kaohsiung is located 143 km to the southwest. Taichung is located 132 km to the northwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 82 km (51 mi) N from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 97 km (60 mi) NW from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 98 km (61 mi) NW from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 110 km (68 mi) W from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 113 km (70 mi) NW from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 116 km (72 mi) NW from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 117 km (73 mi) NW from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 125 km (78 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 132 km (82 mi) NW from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 138 km (86 mi) W from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 141 km (88 mi) SW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 143 km (89 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 160 km (99 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 169 km (105 mi) N from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 182 km (113 mi) N from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 184 km (114 mi) N from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 196 km (122 mi) N from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 197 km (122 mi) N from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 200 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 202 km (126 mi) W from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 210 km (130 mi) N from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 6 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 5 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:
- Yungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
- Huwei, Yunlin, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Hualian, Hualien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Shulin, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Chupei, Hsinchu Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. At a distance of 80 km (50 mi) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 day later. It measured a magnitude of 4.7
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
2 days earlier May 11, 2026 00:59 (Taipei Time) | 55 km (34 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
May 12, 2026 14:53 (Taipei Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
1 day later May 13, 2026 18:43 (Taipei Time) | 80 km (50 mi) N from Main Shock. |
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.
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 May 1st, 2026, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 188 km (117 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 137 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 27 days.
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 23 km (14 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 04/06/26 00:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000sx3h
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260512_0000106
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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