5.2

M5.2 Earthquake 2 km SW of Yujing, TaiwanJanuary 25, 2025

2025-01-25 23:38:52 UTC (2025-01-25) · approx. 7:38 AM UTC+8 local

Felt by 27 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.7 (strong).

MagnitudeM5.2(mww)
Time23:38 UTC7:38 AM UTC+8
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates23.108°, 120.447°
Felt by27DYFI responses· max MMI 5.7
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alertno significant casualties or damage expected

On January 25, 2025 at 23:38 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 2 km SW of Yujing, Taiwan, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 23.1079°, 120.4471°. The earthquake was reported felt by 27 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.7 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 102 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 435, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Yujing (population 16,597).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

The epicenter is located in Taiwan, a region characterized by the collision of the Luzon volcanic arc with the Eurasian continental margin, where the Philippine Sea Plate converges at 80 mm per year. View all earthquakes in Taiwan.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences

Nearest Populated Places

Yujingpop. 16,597
MMI 5.3 (strong)
Tainanpop. 771,235
MMI 4.5 (moderate)
Xinyingpop. 0
MMI 4.5 (moderate)
Taibaopop. 0
MMI 4.2 (moderate)
Jiayi Shipop. 0
MMI 4.2 (moderate)
Pizitoupop. 5,000
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
Map showing earthquake epicenter at 23.11°, 120.45°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.2 earthquake near 2 km SW of Yujing, Taiwan

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 27 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.2 earthquake near 2 km SW of Yujing, Taiwan

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Population exposure (USGS PAGER)

Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.

Shaking intensity (MMI)DescriptionPopulation exposed
MMI 3weak5,956,894
MMI 4light5,704,312
MMI 5moderate1,362,496
MMI 6strong9,311

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.2 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
23.1079°N
120.4471°E
Felt Reports
27
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
5.7
strong
Community Intensity
6.9
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000pmct
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
435
Stations Used
102
Azimuthal Gap
33.0°
Min Station Distance
0.255°
RMS Residual
0.70 sec
Last Updated
2025-04-08 22:01:00 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Yujing, Taiwan?

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 2 km SW of Yujing, Taiwan on January 25, 2025 at 23:38 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 27 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.7 (strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 23.1079°, 120.4471°, which is 2 km SW of Yujing, Taiwan. The nearest populated place is Yujing (population 16,597). View all earthquakes in Taiwan.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Has Taiwan had earthquakes this big before?

The largest recorded earthquake in Taiwan was the M7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake of September 21, 1999. Today's magnitude 5.2 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000pmct). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, January 25, 2025). M5.2 Earthquake 2 km SW of Yujing, TaiwanJanuary 25, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000pmct/