Unusually powerful M5.7 FORESHOCK hit 245km from Xining in China on Tuesday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 28th, 2026. Last updated July 31st, 2026.

In the morning of Tuesday July 28th, 2026, an unusually powerful Magnitude 5.7 foreshock hit under land 245 kilometer from Xining in China. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage but are usually unlikely to result on large numbers of fatalities.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in China, 245 kilometer (152 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 11:16 (Shanghai Time) - Jul 28, 2026 03:16 Universal Time.
Location:	245 km SW of Xining, Qinghai, China. Coordinates 35°22'7"N 99°31'11"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 27 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.06 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe 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.

Significant economic impact

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 YELLOW (significant). They expect an 34% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 97% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 2.6 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.6 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 130 people were exposed to level VII. At this level, very strong shaking and likely moderate damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 2.2 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of China .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
2,201,000	III	Weak	Probably none
335,500	IV	Light	Likely none
20,930	V	Moderate	Very light
2,330	VI	Strong	Light
130	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in China . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Lushar in Qinghai, China. Lushar is located 222 kilometer (138 mi) southwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Lushar is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Xining is located 245 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Nianbo is located 289 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Qiaotou is located 260 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
222 km (138 mi) NE from epicenter	Lushar Qinghai, China.	III Weak
231 km (144 mi) NE from epicenter	Duoba Qinghai, China.	III Weak
245 km (152 mi) NE from epicenter	Xining Qinghai, China.	III Weak
260 km (162 mi) NE from epicenter	Qiaotou Qinghai, China.	III Weak
273 km (170 mi) E from epicenter	Labuleng Gansu, China.
278 km (173 mi) SE from epicenter	Nima Gansu, China.
289 km (180 mi) NE from epicenter	Nianbo Qinghai, China.
289 km (180 mi) NE from epicenter	Qingshizui Qinghai, China.
292 km (181 mi) NE from epicenter	Haomen Qinghai, China.
297 km (185 mi) NE from epicenter	Quankou Qinghai, China.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VII.

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:

Xining, Qinghai, China: 1 person.

This is likely a foreshock

This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.8 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.

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
Foreshock This Earthquake	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 5.1	5 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 16:04 (Shanghai Time)	7 km (4 mi) NW 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.
Aftershock	M 3.8	23 hrs later Jul 29, 2026 10:23 (Shanghai Time)	5 km (3 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	3 days later Jul 31, 2026 04:14 (Shanghai Time)	13 km (8 mi) NW 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).

This is the strongest earthquake in 5 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 May 21st, 2021, when a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit 144 km (89 mi) further southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 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 5.7. 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 31/07/26 02:18 (). 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.