On Thursday Evening a DAMAGING M5.5 Earthquake struck near Mianyang in China.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 3rd, 2026. Last updated September 29th, 2026.

Under land 44 kilometer from Mianyang in China, a DAMAGING and significant M5.5 earthquake occurred in the evening of Thursday September 3rd, 2026. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. 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, 44 kilometer (27 mi) north of Mianyang in Sichuan. 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:	Sep 3, 2026 19:39 (Shanghai Time) - Sep 3, 2026 11:39 Universal Time.
Location:	44 km north of Mianyang, Sichuan, China. Coordinates 31°51'3"N 104°33'19"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 287 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.035 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong 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 ORANGE (orange). They expect an 35% likelyhood of between 100 and 1,000 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 92% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 10 and 100,000 million USD.

Roughly 10 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 10 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 252,700 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 7.4 million). In their region, light shaking and likely 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
1,945,000	III	Weak	Probably none
7,429,000	IV	Light	Likely none
544,400	V	Moderate	Very light
252,700	VI	Strong	Light
0	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 . Jiangyou in Sichuan, China is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 18 kilometer (11 mi) northwest of Jiangyou. Jiangyou experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly VI. That level implies strong shaking and probably light damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Chengdu is located 140 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low). Mianyang is located 44 km to the south and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Nanchong is located 187 km to the south-east (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
18 km (11 mi) SE from epicenter	Jiangyou Sichuan, China.	VI Strong
44 km (27 mi) S from epicenter	Mianyang Sichuan, China.	IV Light
61 km (38 mi) S from epicenter	Luojiang Sichuan, China.	IV Light
82 km (51 mi) S from epicenter	Deyang Sichuan, China.	IV Light
88 km (55 mi) E from epicenter	Pu’an Sichuan, China.	IV Light
98 km (61 mi) SE from epicenter	Tongchuan Sichuan, China.	III Weak
103 km (64 mi) NE from epicenter	Xiasi Sichuan, China.	III Weak
112 km (70 mi) SW from epicenter	Tianpeng Sichuan, China.	IV Light
119 km (74 mi) NE from epicenter	Bikou Gansu, China.	III Weak
122 km (76 mi) N from epicenter	Wenxian Chengguanzhen Gansu, China.
136 km (85 mi) NE from epicenter	Guangyuan Sichuan, China.
140 km (87 mi) S from epicenter	Chengdu Sichuan, China.
140 km (87 mi) E from epicenter	Langzhong Sichuan, China.
142 km (88 mi) N from epicenter	Qiaotou Gansu, China.
150 km (93 mi) N from epicenter	Zhongzhai Gansu, China.
151 km (94 mi) NE from epicenter	Luotang Gansu, China.
153 km (95 mi) NE from epicenter	Chaotian Sichuan, China.
153 km (95 mi) E from epicenter	Nanlong Sichuan, China.
158 km (98 mi) N from epicenter	Waina Gansu, China.
161 km (100 mi) E from epicenter	Jiachuan Sichuan, China.
170 km (106 mi) E from epicenter	Donghe Sichuan, China.
171 km (106 mi) N from epicenter	Hanwang Gansu, China.
174 km (108 mi) N from epicenter	Dongjiang Gansu, China.
174 km (108 mi) N from epicenter	Chengjiao Gansu, China.
175 km (109 mi) N from epicenter	Longnan Gansu, China.
177 km (110 mi) N from epicenter	Liangshui Gansu, China.
178 km (111 mi) SE from epicenter	Suining Sichuan, China.
183 km (114 mi) N from epicenter	Majie Gansu, China.
187 km (116 mi) SE from epicenter	Nanchong Sichuan, China.
189 km (117 mi) SE from epicenter	Gaoping Sichuan, China.
190 km (118 mi) N from epicenter	Anhua Gansu, China.
191 km (119 mi) SW from epicenter	Linqiong Sichuan, China.
192 km (119 mi) NE from epicenter	Zuitai Gansu, China.
193 km (120 mi) NE from epicenter	Hanyuan Shaanxi, China.
193 km (120 mi) S from epicenter	Ziyang Sichuan, China.
198 km (123 mi) N from epicenter	Shawan Gansu, China.
212 km (132 mi) S from epicenter	Meishan Sichuan, China.
223 km (139 mi) NE from epicenter	Lüeyang Chengguanzhen Shaanxi, China.
248 km (154 mi) NE from epicenter	Mianyang Shaanxi, China.
250 km (155 mi) SE from epicenter	Guang’an Sichuan, China.
255 km (158 mi) SW from epicenter	Ya'an Sichuan, China.
257 km (160 mi) S from epicenter	Neijiang Sichuan, China.
263 km (163 mi) SE from epicenter	Hechuan Chongqing, China.
265 km (165 mi) S from epicenter	Leshan Sichuan, China.
268 km (167 mi) NE from epicenter	Hanzhong Shaanxi, China.
279 km (173 mi) SE from epicenter	Longshui Chongqing, China.
280 km (174 mi) S from epicenter	Zigong Sichuan, China.
285 km (177 mi) E from epicenter	Dazhou Sichuan, China.
288 km (179 mi) SE from epicenter	Beibei Chongqing, China.
297 km (185 mi) SE from epicenter	Bishan Chongqing, China.
297 km (185 mi) NE from epicenter	Chenggu Shaanxi, 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 VI.

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 5 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 5 places, all within 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:

Deyang, Sichuan, China: 1 person.
Xian, Shaanxi, China: 1 person.
Dawan, Sichuan, China: 1 person.
Mianyang, Sichuan, China: 1 person.
Nanchong, Sichuan, China: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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 January 26th, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 268 km (166 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on August 8th, 2017.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 2 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 5.5. 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 29/09/26 14:18 (). 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.