M8.0 Earthquake near Drake Passage — 22 August 2025
A great earthquake of magnitude 8.0 was recorded near Drake Passage on , at a focal depth of 10.0 km.
Time (UTC): 2025-08-22 02:16:18
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 8.0 (great)
Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)
Epicentre: -60.4080, -62.0350
Location: Drake Passage
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Available
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Great earthquakes are among the largest events ever recorded and can devastate areas hundreds of kilometres across. Offshore events of this size are the primary cause of destructive ocean-wide tsunamis.
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15.1 million tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 985, which meets 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.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at -60.4080, -62.0350. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.8 earthquake 9 km west-northwest of here on 03 September 2025.
Why the 10 km depth matters
At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size can produce strong, widely felt shaking. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS event record links to NOAA tsunami information because this was a large event in an oceanic region. That link flag does not mean a tsunami occurred or that a warning is active. Check tsunami.gov and instructions from your local authority for the current status of your coastline.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
6 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 7.5.
36 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.6 event near Drake Passage on 10 October 2025. This M8.0 event released about 4.0 times more energy than that event.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the August 2025 worldwide record. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M4.8 earthquake near Drake Passage — (9 km WNW)
- M5.1 earthquake near Drake Passage — (19 km NNE)
- M4.6 earthquake near Drake Passage — (20 km WNW)
- M4.7 earthquake near Drake Passage — (21 km NE)
- M5.0 earthquake near Drake Passage — (23 km N)
- M4.9 earthquake near Drake Passage — (24 km N)
- M5.1 earthquake near Drake Passage — (25 km N)
- M5.5 earthquake near Drake Passage — (25 km N)
- M7.6 earthquake near Drake Passage — (26 km N)
- M7.5 earthquake near 2025 Southern Drake Passage Earthquake — (27 km NNE)
Other magnitude 8 earthquakes worldwide
- M7.8 earthquake near Burias, Philippines —
- M7.8 earthquake near Ternate, Indonesia —
- M7.8 earthquake near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia —
- M7.8 earthquake near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia —
- M8.0 earthquake near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong is a magnitude 8.0 earthquake?
Great earthquakes are among the largest events ever recorded and can devastate areas hundreds of kilometres across. Offshore events of this size are the primary cause of destructive ocean-wide tsunamis. A magnitude 8.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15.1 million tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Drake Passage?
At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
Was the M8.0 earthquake near Drake Passage felt?
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size can produce strong, widely felt shaking. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?
The USGS event record links to NOAA tsunami information because this was a large event in an oceanic region. That link flag does not mean a tsunami occurred or that a warning is active. Check tsunami.gov and instructions from your local authority for the current status of your coastline.
Have there been aftershocks?
6 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 7.5.
How often do earthquakes happen near Drake Passage?
36 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 7.6 event near Drake Passage on 10 October 2025. This M8.0 event released about 4.0 times more energy than that event.