On Tuesday Morning a Shallow M5.8 Earthquake struck 242km from Xining in China.

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

A shallow and significant MAG-5.8 earthquake struck under land 242 kilometer from Xining in China around noon of Tuesday July 28th, 2026. 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, 242 kilometer (150 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 11:34 (Shanghai Time) - Jul 28, 2026 03:34 Universal Time.
Location:	242 km SW of Xining, Qinghai, China. Coordinates 35°23'12"N 99°33'5"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 .
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 33% 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 2.9 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.9 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VII, which corresponds with very strong shaking and likely moderate damage. Roughly 150 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.4 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be 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
2,422,000	III	Weak	Probably none
481,800	IV	Light	Likely none
41,700	V	Moderate	Very light
2,350	VI	Strong	Light
150	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 . Located 218 kilometer (135 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Lushar (Qinghai, China) is the nearest significant population center. 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).

Major cities near this earthquake: Lanzhou is located 394 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Xining is located 242 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Wuwei is located 394 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
218 km (135 mi) NE from epicenter	Lushar Qinghai, China.	III Weak
228 km (142 mi) NE from epicenter	Duoba Qinghai, China.	III Weak
242 km (150 mi) NE from epicenter	Xining Qinghai, China.	III Weak
257 km (160 mi) NE from epicenter	Qiaotou Qinghai, China.	III Weak
270 km (168 mi) E from epicenter	Labuleng Gansu, China.
277 km (172 mi) SE from epicenter	Nima Gansu, China.
285 km (177 mi) NE from epicenter	Nianbo Qinghai, China.
286 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter	Qingshizui Qinghai, China.
289 km (180 mi) NE from epicenter	Haomen Qinghai, China.
293 km (182 mi) NE from epicenter	Quankou Qinghai, China.
301 km (187 mi) NE from epicenter	Dongchuan Qinghai, China.
308 km (191 mi) E from epicenter	Hezuo Gansu, China.
317 km (197 mi) N from epicenter	Qilian Qinghai, China.
332 km (206 mi) E from epicenter	Linxia Chengguanzhen Gansu, China.
355 km (221 mi) E from epicenter	Lintan Chengguanzhen Gansu, China.
366 km (227 mi) SE from epicenter	Dianga Gansu, China.
371 km (231 mi) E from epicenter	Liulin Gansu, China.
376 km (234 mi) E from epicenter	Xincheng Gansu, China.
394 km (245 mi) NE from epicenter	Wuwei Gansu, China.
394 km (245 mi) E from epicenter	Lanzhou Gansu, China.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured 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.

7 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 7 smaller aftershocks. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 5 hrs later 7 km (4 mi) northwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 18 mins earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.7

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	M 5.7	18 mins earlier Jul 28, 2026 11:16 (Shanghai Time)	4 km (2.2 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	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?

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.

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 3 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 December 18th, 2023, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 298 km (185 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on May 21st, 2021.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 5 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 5.8. 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 02:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.