On Sunday Morning an Unusually powerful M5.5 Earthquake struck 170km from Khovd in Mongolia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 26th, 2026. Last updated May 17th, 2026.

Under land 170 kilometer from Khovd in Mongolia, an unusually powerful Magnitude 5.5 earthquake occurred in the morning of Sunday April 26th, 2026. Roughly 140 thousand people may have felt this earthquake. Another country near the epicenter is China.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Mongolia, 170 kilometer (106 mi) south-east of Khovd in Hovd. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 11 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 26, 2026 11:23 (Hovd Time) - Apr 26, 2026 04:23 Universal Time.
Location:	170 km SE of Khovd, Hovd, Mongolia. Coordinates 46°48'49"N 93°3'12"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	11 km (7 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 140 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 140 thousand 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.

Very strong shaking and likely moderate damage may have been experienced by an estimated 30 people. At VII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 100 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Mongolia , around 130 thousand people, with impact levels up to VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage). Roughly 10 thousand people were exposed to shaking in China .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
99,440	III	Weak	Probably none
32,270	IV	Light	Likely none
5,690	V	Moderate	Very light
490	VI	Strong	Light
30	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

Mongolia and China are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 170 kilometer (106 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Khovd (Hovd, Mongolia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Khovd is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
170 km (106 mi) NW from epicenter	Khovd Hovd, Mongolia.	III Weak
250 km (155 mi) E from epicenter	Altai Govĭ-Altay, Mongolia.
269 km (167 mi) W from epicenter	Fuyun Xinjiang, China.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

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 China.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Altay, Xinjiang, China: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 16 km (10 mi) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 4 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 4.3

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.5	Apr 26, 2026 11:23 (Hovd Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.3	4 mins later Apr 26, 2026 11:27 (Hovd Time)	16 km (10 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.0	7 mins later Apr 26, 2026 11:30 (Hovd Time)	14 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock.

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).

This is the strongest earthquake in 6 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 March 20th, 2020, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 112 km (69 mi) further south-east. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 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 10 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 11 km (7 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 17/05/26 06:38 (). 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.