Under land Afghanistan, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.2 foreshock occurred in the night of Wednesday January 7th, 2026. China, Tajikistan and Pakistan are also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Afghanistan, 282 kilometer (175 mi) south-southwest of Kashgar in Xinjiang. 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, 2026 01:17 (Urumqi Time) - Jan 6, 2026 19:17 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 282 km SSW of Kashgar, Xinjiang, China. Coordinates 37°13'43"N 74°28'48"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 151 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.047 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. China , Tajikistan and Pakistan are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Huoshilafu in Xinjiang, China is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 208 kilometer (129 mi) west-southwest of Huoshilafu.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 208 km (129 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Huoshilafu Xinjiang, China. |
| 226 km (140 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kaqun Xinjiang, China. |
| 255 km (158 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Qarek Xinjiang, China. |
| 260 km (162 mi) W from epicenter |
Khorugh Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. |
| 261 km (162 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ishqoshim Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. |
| 265 km (165 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Wudalike Xinjiang, China. |
| 268 km (167 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Zepu Xinjiang, China. |
| 273 km (170 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Tuomuwusitang Xinjiang, China. |
| 275 km (171 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Gulebage Xinjiang, China. |
| 276 km (171 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Shache Xinjiang, China. |
| 277 km (172 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Yishikuli Xinjiang, China. |
| 279 km (173 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Mixia Xinjiang, China. |
| 279 km (173 mi) SW from epicenter |
Thal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. |
| 280 km (174 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Arele Xinjiang, China. |
| 281 km (175 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Paikeqi Xinjiang, China. |
| 282 km (175 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Kashgar Xinjiang, China. |
| 284 km (176 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Tage'erqi Xinjiang, China. |
| 290 km (180 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Yigai'erqi Xinjiang, China. |
| 290 km (180 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kuoshi'airike Xinjiang, China. |
| 297 km (185 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Baishikante Xinjiang, China. |
| 298 km (185 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Awati Xinjiang, China. |
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.3 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
2 days earlier Jan 7, 2026 01:17AM (Urumqi Time) | 19 km (12 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.3 |
Jan 8, 2026 11:00PM (Urumqi Time) | - |
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 17th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 158 km (98 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on February 23rd, 2023.
In total, 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 6 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 29/01/26 22:28 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rmzt
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260106_0000363
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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