Shallow M5.2 Earthquake struck on Wednesday Morning near Kathmandu in Nepal.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 26th, 2026. Last updated August 27th, 2026.

Under land 66 kilometer from Kathmandu in Nepal, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake occurred in the morning of Wednesday August 26th, 2026. Another country near the epicenter is India.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Nepal, 66 kilometer (41 mi) north of Kathmandu in Bagmati Province. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 0 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 26, 2026 08:37AM (Kathmandu Time) - Aug 26, 2026 02:52 Universal Time.
Location:	66 km north of Kathmandu, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Coordinates 28°16'16"N 85°30'54"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.09 .
Depth:	0 km (0 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

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Nepal and India .

Kathmandu in Bagmati Province, Nepal is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 66 kilometer (41 mi) north of Kathmandu.

Major cities near this earthquake: Kathmandu is located 66 km to the south. Pātan is located 69 km to the south. Gorakhpur is located 270 km to the southwest.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 May 11th, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 222 km (138 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on January 7th, 2025.

In total, 7 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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

Sources

Last updated 27/08/26 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000tbwb
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260826_0000052
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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