A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 aftershock struck under land 240 kilometer from Xining in China in the late afternoon of Tuesday July 28th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in China, 240 kilometer (149 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: | 240 km SW of Xining, Qinghai, China. Coordinates 35°23'41"N 99°34'1"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 138 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 . |
| 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 . Located 217 kilometer (135 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Lushar (Qinghai, China) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Xining is located 240 km to the north-east. Nianbo is located 283 km to the north-east. Qiaotou is located 255 km to the north-east.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 217 km (135 mi) NE from epicenter |
Lushar Qinghai, China. |
| 226 km (140 mi) NE from epicenter |
Duoba Qinghai, China. |
| 240 km (149 mi) NE from epicenter |
Xining Qinghai, China. |
| 255 km (158 mi) NE from epicenter |
Qiaotou Qinghai, China. |
| 269 km (167 mi) E from epicenter |
Labuleng Gansu, China. |
| 276 km (171 mi) SE from epicenter |
Nima Gansu, China. |
| 283 km (176 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nianbo Qinghai, China. |
| 285 km (177 mi) NE from epicenter |
Qingshizui Qinghai, China. |
| 287 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter |
Haomen Qinghai, China. |
| 292 km (181 mi) NE from epicenter |
Quankou Qinghai, China. |
| 299 km (186 mi) NE from epicenter |
Dongchuan Qinghai, China. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 5.8 earthquake struck 4 km (2.4 mi) north in advance of this 5.1 earthquake around 5 hrs earlier.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 5.7 |
18 mins earlier Jul 28, 2026 11:16 (Shanghai Time) | 7 km (5 mi) W 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) | 13 km (8 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
4 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 15:24 (Shanghai Time) | 7 km (4 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
5 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 16:04 (Shanghai Time) | 4 km (2.4 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
6 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 17:52 (Shanghai Time) | 20 km (12 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
12 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 23:38 (Shanghai Time) | 43 km (27 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
23 hrs later Jul 29, 2026 10:23 (Shanghai Time) | 11 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
3 days later Jul 31, 2026 04:14 (Shanghai Time) | 12 km (7 mi) W 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.
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 are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. In total, 12 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 10 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 5.1. 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 20/08/26 10:58 (). 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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