Under land 266 kilometer from Khorugh in Tajikistan, a significant M5.3 earthquake occurred in the evening of Thursday January 8th, 2026. Other countries near the epicenter include China and Pakistan.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Tajikistan, 266 kilometer (165 mi) east of Khorugh in Gorno-Badakhshan. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 56 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 8, 2026 23:00 (Urumqi Time) - Jan 8, 2026 17:00 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 263 km SSW of Kashgar, Xinjiang, China. Coordinates 37°23'18"N 74°33'42"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 179 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 . |
| Depth: | 56 km (35 mi) A quite 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 195 kilometer (121 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 |
|---|---|
| 195 km (121 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Huoshilafu Xinjiang, China. |
| 213 km (132 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kaqun Xinjiang, China. |
| 240 km (149 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Qarek Xinjiang, China. |
| 250 km (155 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Wudalike Xinjiang, China. |
| 254 km (158 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Zepu Xinjiang, China. |
| 258 km (160 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Tuomuwusitang Xinjiang, China. |
| 260 km (162 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Gulebage Xinjiang, China. |
| 261 km (162 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Shache Xinjiang, China. |
| 262 km (163 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Yishikuli Xinjiang, China. |
| 263 km (163 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Kashgar Xinjiang, China. |
| 264 km (164 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Mixia Xinjiang, China. |
| 265 km (165 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Arele Xinjiang, China. |
| 266 km (165 mi) W from epicenter |
Khorugh Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. |
| 266 km (165 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Paikeqi Xinjiang, China. |
| 269 km (167 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Tage'erqi Xinjiang, China. |
| 272 km (169 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ishqoshim Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. |
| 275 km (171 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kuoshi'airike Xinjiang, China. |
| 276 km (171 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Yigai'erqi Xinjiang, China. |
| 282 km (175 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Baishikante Xinjiang, China. |
| 283 km (176 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Awati Xinjiang, China. |
| 286 km (178 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Elixku Xinjiang, China. |
| 288 km (179 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Alamaiti Xinjiang, China. |
| 288 km (179 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Bage'awati Xinjiang, China. |
| 291 km (181 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Azhatebage Xinjiang, China. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter |
Thal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. |
| 298 km (185 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Huangdi Xinjiang, China. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in Uzbekistan.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Quva, Fargʿona, Uzbekistan: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.2 |
2 days earlier Jan 7, 2026 01:17 (Urumqi Time) | 16 km (10 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Jan 8, 2026 23:00 (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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 171 km (106 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on February 23rd, 2023.
In total, 21 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 56 km (35 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 09/01/26 11:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rng1
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260108_0000245
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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