A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 80 kilometer from Hualien City, Taiwan in the afternoon of Tuesday May 12th, 2026. Japan is also near its epicenter.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, right off the coast of Taiwan (4 mi offshore), 80 kilometer south of Hualien City in Hualien County. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 26 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: | 80 km south of Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Coordinates 23°15'46"N 121°29'21"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: | 26 km (16 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
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Taiwan and Japan are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Hualien City in Hualien County, Taiwan is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 80 kilometer (50 mi) south of Hualien City.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Taipei is located 199 km to the north. Kaohsiung is located 140 km to the southwest. Taichung is located 128 km to the northwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 80 km (50 mi) N from epicenter |
Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan. |
| 92 km (57 mi) NW from epicenter |
Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 94 km (58 mi) NW from epicenter |
Puli Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 106 km (66 mi) W from epicenter |
Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 109 km (68 mi) NW from epicenter |
Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan. |
| 111 km (69 mi) NW from epicenter |
Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 113 km (70 mi) NW from epicenter |
Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan. |
| 121 km (75 mi) NW from epicenter |
Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan. |
| 128 km (80 mi) NW from epicenter |
Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan. |
| 134 km (83 mi) W from epicenter |
Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan. |
| 139 km (86 mi) SW from epicenter |
Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 140 km (87 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan. |
| 160 km (99 mi) SW from epicenter |
Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan. |
| 168 km (104 mi) N from epicenter |
Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan. |
| 179 km (111 mi) N from epicenter |
Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan. |
| 181 km (112 mi) N from epicenter |
Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 193 km (120 mi) N from epicenter |
Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan. |
| 195 km (121 mi) N from epicenter |
Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 197 km (122 mi) W from epicenter |
Magong Penghu County , Taiwan. |
| 199 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan. |
| 209 km (130 mi) N from epicenter |
Keelung Keelung, Taiwan. |
| 297 km (185 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ishigaki Okinawa, Japan. |
Shaking reported by 3 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 3 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:
- Huwei, Yunlin, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Yungho, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
- Chupei, Hsinchu Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.2
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
2 days earlier May 11, 2026 00:59 (Taipei Time) | 53 km (33 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
May 12, 2026 14:53 (Taipei Time) | - |
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 187 km (116 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.
In total, 138 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 26 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 26 km (16 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 12/05/26 11:48 (). 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 us6000sx3h
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260512_0000106
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
