A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Tainan City, Taiwan, injuring 50 people and damaging thousands of buildings across southwestern Taiwan.
Key Facts
- Local magnitude
- ML 6.4 (Mw 6.0)
- Depth
- 16 km
- Injuries
- 50 people
- Buildings damaged
- Several thousand
- Counties/cities affected
- 6
- Fault mechanism
- Reverse faulting
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The earthquake resulted from reverse faulting at a depth of 16 kilometres beneath Dongshan District, Tainan City, near the border with Chiayi County. This tectonic mechanism is common in Taiwan, where the Philippine Sea Plate converges with the Eurasian Plate, generating frequent seismic activity across the island.
On 21 January 2025, at 00:17 local time, a ML 6.4 earthquake struck Dongshan District, Tainan City, Taiwan. The shaking injured 50 people and damaged several thousand buildings across six counties and cities in southwestern Taiwan, with the heaviest damage concentrated in Tainan.
The mainshock was followed by a series of intense aftershocks that caused additional damage in the worst-affected areas. The widespread building damage across six administrative divisions highlighted the vulnerability of older structures in southwestern Taiwan to moderate-to-strong seismic events.