Strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Taiwan
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit near Yujing, Taiwan, at 09:47 UTC (17:47 local time) on December 24, 2025. The agency reported a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), while EMSC reported M6.0 at a depth of 12 km (7.4 miles). There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
Epicenter of M6.0 earthquake near the coast of Taiwan on December 24, 2025. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 82 km (51 miles) ESE of Yujing (population 16 597), 88.8 km (55 miles) ENE of Donggang (population 47 746), 95.3 km (59 miles) ENE of Kaohsiung (population 1 519 711), 99.4 km (61.8 miles) ESE of Yongkang (population 233 730), and 103 km (64 miles) E of Tainan (population 771 235), Taiwan.
123 000 people are estimated to have felt strong shaking, 56 000 moderate, 8 520 000 light, and 3.9 million weak.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are unknown or miscellaneous, and heavy wood frame construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Little or no landsliding is expected, but some landslides could have occurred in highly susceptible areas. The number of people living near areas that could have produced landslides in this earthquake is low, but localized damage remains possible.
Little or no liquefaction is expected, though minor effects could have occurred in areas with highly susceptible soils. The number of people living near areas that could have experienced liquefaction is limited.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.0 earthquake near the coast of Taiwan – USGS – December 24, 2025
2 M6.0 earthquake Taiwan region – EMSC – December 24, 2025
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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