Deep in the night of Thursday January 22nd, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake hit under land 168 kilometer from Tinsukia in India. Other nearby countries are China and Myanmar.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in India, 168 kilometer (104 mi) east of Tinsukia in Assam. 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 22, 2026 03:13 (Kolkata Time) - Jan 21, 2026 21:43 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 168 km east of Tinsukia, Assam, India. Coordinates 27°15'27"N 97°2'10"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 145 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. India , China and Myanmar are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Located 135 kilometer (84 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Margherita (Assam, India) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Dibrugarh is located 212 km to the west. Shangri-La is located 271 km to the east-northeast. Tengyue is located 292 km to the south-southeast.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 135 km (84 mi) W from epicenter |
Margherita Assam, India. |
| 141 km (88 mi) W from epicenter |
Digboi Assam, India. |
| 150 km (93 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Dum Duma Assam, India. |
| 160 km (99 mi) W from epicenter |
Mākum Assam, India. |
| 167 km (104 mi) W from epicenter |
Nahorkatiya Assam, India. |
| 168 km (104 mi) W from epicenter |
Tinsukia Assam, India. |
| 170 km (106 mi) W from epicenter |
Nāmrup Assam, India. |
| 171 km (106 mi) W from epicenter |
Duliāgaon Assam, India. |
| 191 km (119 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Pāsighāt Arunachal Pradesh, India. |
| 193 km (120 mi) E from epicenter |
Shangpa Yunnan, China. |
| 202 km (126 mi) W from epicenter |
Sonāri Assam, India. |
| 204 km (127 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Mon Nagaland, India. |
| 131 mi (211 km) S from epicenter |
Myitkyina Kachin, Myanmar. |
| 212 km (132 mi) W from epicenter |
Dibrugarh Assam, India. |
| 228 km (142 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Yingpan Yunnan, China. |
| 231 km (144 mi) W from epicenter |
Silapathar Assam, India. |
| 236 km (147 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ruidian Yunnan, China. |
| 239 km (149 mi) SE from epicenter |
Liuku Yunnan, China. |
| 239 km (149 mi) W from epicenter |
Sibsāgar Assam, India. |
| 242 km (150 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Along Arunachal Pradesh, India. |
| 246 km (153 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tuensang Nagaland, India. |
| 247 km (153 mi) SE from epicenter |
Mingguang Yunnan, China. |
| 248 km (154 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Houqiao Yunnan, China. |
| 255 km (158 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Jinding Yunnan, China. |
| 257 km (160 mi) SE from epicenter |
Gudong Yunnan, China. |
| 258 km (160 mi) E from epicenter |
Judian Yunnan, China. |
| 260 km (162 mi) SE from epicenter |
Jietou Yunnan, China. |
| 269 km (167 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Mazhan Yunnan, China. |
| 271 km (168 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Mokokchūng Nagaland, India. |
| 271 km (168 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Shangri-La Yunnan, China. |
| 275 km (171 mi) SE from epicenter |
Qushi Yunnan, China. |
| 278 km (173 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Mariāni Assam, India. |
| 280 km (174 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Zhonghe Yunnan, China. |
| 286 km (178 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Jorhāt Assam, India. |
| 287 km (178 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Beihai Yunnan, China. |
| 288 km (179 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Hehua Yunnan, China. |
| 289 km (180 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Zunheboto Nagaland, India. |
| 290 km (180 mi) W from epicenter |
North Lakhimpur Assam, India. |
| 292 km (181 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Tengyue Yunnan, China. |
| 292 km (181 mi) E from epicenter |
Shigu Yunnan, China. |
| 297 km (185 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Jinhua Yunnan, China. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Yingjiang Yunnan, China. |
| 298 km (185 mi) E from epicenter |
Jiuhe Yunnan, China. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since April 5th, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 86 km (53 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck on May 31st, 2023.
In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 years.
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 5.1. 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 26/01/26 21:28 (). 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 us7000rr7m
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260121_0000427
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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