M4.5 Earthquake near Wāngjing, India — 18 January 2025
A light earthquake of magnitude 4.5 was recorded near Wāngjing, India on , with an epicentre 104 km east of Wāngjing, at a focal depth of 126.4 km. It was the strongest of the 2 earthquakes recorded in India in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2025-01-18 20:01:47
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 4.5 (light)
Focal depth: 126.4 km (intermediate)
Epicentre: 24.4515, 95.0812
Location: 104 km E of Wāngjing, India
Country: India
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 312, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 02:22 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.
This event was deeper than 94% of the 141 earthquakes recorded in India in our catalogue and stronger than 37% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 24.4515, 95.0812 — 104 km east of Wāngjing. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 5.1 earthquake 19 km north of here on 23 January 2025.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Phek (44 km north-northeast), Homalin (65 km northeast), Leshi Township (106 km north-northwest) and Mawlaik Township (107 km south-southwest).
Why the 126 km depth matters
At 126 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow event of the same magnitude.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 126 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 5.1.
65 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.4 event near Shwebo on 18 July 2025. This M4.5 event released about 22 times less energy than that event.
2 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 1 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the January 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in India during January 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M5.1 earthquake near Wāngjing, India — (19 km N)
- M5.1 earthquake near Wāngjing, India — (26 km WSW)
- M4.4 earthquake near Wāngjing, India — (32 km NW)
- M4.4 earthquake near Wāngjing, India — (32 km NW)
- M4.2 earthquake near Wāngjing, India — (35 km ENE)
- M5.4 earthquake near Wāngjing, India — (43 km WNW)
- M4.4 earthquake near Phek, India — (44 km NNE)
- M4.9 earthquake near Wāngjing, India — (44 km NW)
- M4.5 earthquake near Phek, India — (47 km NNE)
- M4.3 earthquake near Wāngjing, India — (48 km WNW)
Other recent earthquakes in India
- M4.2 earthquake near Sarupathar, India —
- M5.1 earthquake near Joshīmath, India —
- M4.0 earthquake near Sarāhan, India —
- M4.3 earthquake near Kyelang, India —
- M4.9 earthquake near Port Blair, India —
- M4.3 earthquake near Barkot, India —
- M3.8 earthquake near Nashik, India —
- M4.8 earthquake near Shi Yomi, India —
- M5.0 earthquake near Shi Yomi, India —
- M4.5 earthquake near Tuensang, India —
Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide
- M4.6 earthquake near Minami-Sōma, Japan —
- M4.5 earthquake near Tomioka, Japan —
- M4.5 earthquake near Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea —
- M4.4 earthquake near San Antonio de los Cobres, Argentina —
- M4.6 earthquake near Ruteng, Indonesia —
- M4.4 earthquake near south of the Fiji Islands —
- M4.6 earthquake near Hengchun, Taiwan —
- M4.7 earthquake near Cafayate, Argentina —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Wāngjing?
It measured magnitude 4.5 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Wāngjing?
The focus was 126 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.
Was the Wāngjing earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 4.5 and a focal depth of 126 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.
When did the earthquake near Wāngjing happen?
18 January 2025 at 20:01 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
1 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 5.1.
How often do earthquakes happen near Wāngjing?
65 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.4 event near Shwebo on 18 July 2025. This M4.5 event released about 22 times less energy than that event.