Under land 243 kilometer from Xining in China, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Tuesday July 28th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in China, 243 kilometer (151 mi) southwest of Xining in Qinghai. 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: | Jul 28, 2026 16:04 (Shanghai Time) - Jul 28, 2026 08:04 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 243 km SW of Xining, Qinghai, China. Coordinates 35°25'30"N 99°29'35"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 128 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.05 . |
| 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 may have been felt in China . Lushar in Qinghai, China is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 220 kilometer (137 mi) southwest of Lushar.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Xining is located 243 km to the north-east. Nianbo is located 288 km to the north-east. Qiaotou is located 258 km to the north-east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 220 km (137 mi) NE from epicenter |
Lushar Qinghai, China. |
| 229 km (142 mi) NE from epicenter |
Duoba Qinghai, China. |
| 243 km (151 mi) NE from epicenter |
Xining Qinghai, China. |
| 258 km (160 mi) NE from epicenter |
Qiaotou Qinghai, China. |
| 276 km (171 mi) E from epicenter |
Labuleng Gansu, China. |
| 284 km (176 mi) SE from epicenter |
Nima Gansu, China. |
| 286 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter |
Qingshizui Qinghai, China. |
| 288 km (179 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nianbo Qinghai, China. |
| 289 km (180 mi) NE from epicenter |
Haomen Qinghai, China. |
| 294 km (183 mi) NE from epicenter |
Quankou Qinghai, China. |
4 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 4 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 17 km (11 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 6 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.7
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 18 mins earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.7
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.7 |
18 mins earlier Jul 28, 2026 11:16 (Shanghai Time) | 4 km (2.2 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.8 |
Jul 28, 2026 11:34 (Shanghai Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
3 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 15:01 (Shanghai Time) | 8 km (5 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
4 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 15:24 (Shanghai Time) | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
6 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 17:52 (Shanghai Time) | 17 km (11 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
12 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 23:38 (Shanghai Time) | 44 km (27 mi) W from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
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 are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 28th, 2026, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 7 km (4 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on May 21st, 2021.
In total, 11 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 year.
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 28/07/26 22:38 (). 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 us6000tgbk
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260728_0000137
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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