Shallow M5.5 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Afternoon in the Philippine Sea 129km from Kaohsiung (Taiwan).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 25th, 2026. Last updated August 26th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.5 earthquake struck in the Philippine Sea 129 kilometer from Kaohsiung, Taiwan in the afternoon of Tuesday August 25th, 2026. Roughly 12 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Philippine Sea, 47 kilometers (29 mi) off the coast of Taiwan, 129 kilometer east of Kaohsiung. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 15 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 25, 2026 15:00 (Taipei Time) - Aug 25, 2026 07:00 Universal Time.
Location:	129 km east of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Coordinates 22°36'19"N 121°34'15"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 .
Depth:	15 km (9 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 12 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 12 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 180 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 7.3 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 3 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Taiwan , around 12 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). People were exposed to shaking in The Philippines as well.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
7,256,000	III	Weak	Probably none
4,865,000	IV	Light	Likely none
2,760	V	Moderate	Very light
180	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Taiwan . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hengchun in Pingtung County, Taiwan. Hengchun is located 108 kilometer (67 mi) north-east of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Hengchun 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. Taipei is located 272 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Kaohsiung is located 129 km to the west and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Taichung is located 194 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
108 km (67 mi) SW from epicenter	Hengchun Pingtung County, Taiwan.	IV Light
116 km (72 mi) W from epicenter	Donggang Pingtung County, Taiwan.	IV Light
128 km (80 mi) NW from epicenter	Yujing Tainan City, Taiwan.	III Weak
129 km (80 mi) W from epicenter	Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, Taiwan.	IV Light
146 km (91 mi) W from epicenter	Tainan Tainan City, Taiwan.	IV Light
152 km (94 mi) NW from epicenter	Lugu Nantou County, Taiwan.	III Weak
153 km (95 mi) N from epicenter	Hualien City Hualien County, Taiwan.	III Weak
162 km (101 mi) NW from epicenter	Douliu Yunlin County, Taiwan.	III Weak
163 km (101 mi) NW from epicenter	Puli Nantou County, Taiwan.	III Weak
173 km (107 mi) NW from epicenter	Nantou Nantou County, Taiwan.	III Weak
176 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter	Zhongxing New Village Nantou County, Taiwan.	III Weak
181 km (112 mi) NW from epicenter	Yuanlin Changhua County, Taiwan.	III Weak
194 km (121 mi) NW from epicenter	Taichung Taichung City, Taiwan.	III Weak
229 km (142 mi) NW from epicenter	Magong Penghu County , Taiwan.
240 km (149 mi) N from epicenter	Yilan Yilan County, Taiwan.
252 km (157 mi) N from epicenter	Hsinchu Hsinchu County, Taiwan.
255 km (158 mi) N from epicenter	Daxi Taoyuan City , Taiwan.
267 km (166 mi) N from epicenter	Taoyuan City Taoyuan City , Taiwan.
268 km (167 mi) N from epicenter	Banqiao New Taipei City, Taiwan.
272 km (169 mi) N from epicenter	Taipei Taipei City, Taiwan.
281 km (175 mi) N from epicenter	Keelung Keelung, Taiwan.

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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 14 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 14 people have reported shaking in 9 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: 3 people.
Taichung, Taichung Shih, Taiwan: 2 people.
Sanchung, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 2 people.
Hsinchu, Hsinchu Shih, Taiwan: 2 people.
Taitung, Taitung, Taiwan: 1 person.
Fengshan, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.
Tainan, Tainan Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
Chiayi, Chiayi Shih, Taiwan: 1 person.
Shulin, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 257 km (160 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on April 2nd, 2024.

In total, 62 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 2 months.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 15 km (9 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 26/08/26 05:08 (). 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.