On Tuesday Morning a DESTRUCTIVE M7.1 Earthquake struck 165km from Rikaze in China.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 7th, 2025. Last updated February 10th, 2025.

A DESTRUCTIVE and very strong MAG-7.1 earthquake struck under land 165 kilometer from Rikaze in China in the early morning of Tuesday January 7th, 2025. Earthquakes like this pose a high risk at damage and significant risk to cause loss of life. Nepal, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh are also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in China, 165 kilometer (103 mi) west-southwest of Rikaze in Tibet. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 7, 2025 06:50AM (Kathmandu Time) - Jan 7, 2025 01:05 Universal Time.
Location:	224 km ENE of Kathmandu, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Coordinates 28°34'24"N 87°22'30"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.1 Detected by 63 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.039 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	X Extreme On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth can cause tsunami's, but this epicenter appears to have hit under land, making this less likely. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

At least 126 people killed, 324 injured, at least 3610 homes destroyed and 27,188 buildings damaged in the Lhatse-Sa'gya-Tingri area. Several roads damaged by landslides in Tingri. At least 40 buildings damaged in Lhatse. Thirteen people injured, 2 homes destroyed, 12 homes and at least 1 building damaged in Nepal. Several homes damaged in Bihar, India. Avalanches reported in Bhutan, India and Nepal.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level ORANGE (orange). They expect an 39% likelyhood of between 100 and 1,000 fatalities, and a 94% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1 and 10,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level RED (high). They expect an 33% likelyhood of between 1,000 and 10,000 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 93% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 10 and 100,000 million USD.

Roughly 135 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 135 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Violent shaking and likely heavy damage may have been experienced by an estimated 3,000 people. At IX, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 131 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 5 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 100 million people were exposed to shaking in India , with level V (moderate shaking, very light damage) as the highest recorded. In Nepal , around 20 million people. A smaller number of people were exposed in the following countries: China, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Nepal , China , India , Bhutan and Bangladesh are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Khā̃dbāri̇̄ in Province 1, Nepal is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 134 kilometer (83 mi) north of Khā̃dbāri̇̄. Khā̃dbāri̇̄ experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Kathmandu is located 224 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Patna is located 399 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Siliguri is located 232 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is IX.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 844 people in 5 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 844 people have reported shaking in 132 places in 5 countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, China, Nepal).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Nepal: 183 people.
• Lalitpur, Lalitpur, Nepal: 130 people.
• Patna, Bihar, India: 53 people.
• Tribuvannagar, Dang Deokhuri, Nepal: 52 people.
• Shilīguri, Bangla, India: 48 people.
• Phulwari, Bihar, India: 32 people.
• Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal: 30 people.
• Bhaktapur, Bhaktapur, Nepal: 20 people.
• Gangtok, Sikkim, India: 17 people.
• Darbhanga, Bihar, India: 13 people.

160 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 160 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 5 mins later 30 km (18 mi) south-southeast of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Roughly 57 mins before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.2 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

This is the strongest earthquake in 10 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 12th, 2015, when a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit 154 km (96 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on April 25th, 2015.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.1 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 5 years.

Low Tsunami Risk

There is a low tsunami risk following this earthquake, as it appears the epicenter was under land far away from the coast. However this was a very strong earthquake at a shallow depth that would have a very high risk at causing tsunami's if it would have occurred under sea. Stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 10/02/25 02:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pi9w
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250107_0000018
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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