DAMAGING M7.0 Earthquake struck on Thursday Evening 191km from Nagqu in China.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 22nd, 2026.

A DAMAGING and very strong MAG-7.0 earthquake struck under land 191 kilometer from Nagqu in China in the evening of Thursday October 22nd, 2026. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage and have a significant risk at casualties.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in China, 191 kilometer (119 mi) north-east of Nagqu in Tibet. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 22, 2026 22:33 (Shanghai Time) - Oct 22, 2026 14:33 Universal Time.
Location:	191 km NE of Nagqu, Tibet, China. Coordinates 32°22'50"N 93°46'47"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.0 Detected by 78 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.035 .
Depth:	18 km (11 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IX Violent On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth can cause tsunami's, but this epicenter appears to have hit under land, making this less likely. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 37% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 fatalities, and a 97% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 1,000.

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 670 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 670 thousand 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.

Severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage may have been experienced by an estimated 2,650 people. At VIII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 530 thousand). 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
31,370	III	Weak	Probably none
526,800	IV	Light	Likely none
61,790	V	Moderate	Very light
41,870	VI	Strong	Light
3,700	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
2,650	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 Nagqu in Tibet, China. Nagqu is located 191 kilometer (119 mi) north-east of the epicenter. Nagqu experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

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)
191 km (119 mi) SW from epicenter	Nagqu Tibet, China.	IV Light
350 km (217 mi) SE from epicenter	Qamdo Tibet, China.
396 km (246 mi) SW from epicenter	Dêqên Tibet, China.
397 km (247 mi) SW from epicenter	Lhasa Tibet, China.
478 km (297 mi) S from epicenter	Along Arunachal Pradesh, India.

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 VIII.

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 3 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 3 places in 2 countries (India, 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:

Dulia Gaon, Assam, India: 1 person.
Suriyawan, Uttar Pradesh, India: 1 person.
Chongqing, Chongqing, China: 1 person.

7 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 7 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 38 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.2 was detected 11 km (7 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

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
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 7.0	Oct 22, 2026 22:33 (Shanghai Time)	-
Aftershock	M 5.2	38 mins later Oct 22, 2026 23:12 (Shanghai Time)	11 km (7 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	1 hr later Oct 22, 2026 23:57 (Shanghai Time)	28 km (18 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	2 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 00:21 (Shanghai Time)	20 km (12 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.6	2 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 00:45 (Shanghai Time)	11 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	2 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 00:50 (Shanghai Time)	12 km (8 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	2 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 00:57 (Shanghai Time)	7 km (4 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.0	4 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 02:06 (Shanghai Time)	20 km (12 mi) E 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.

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

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 7 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Low Tsunami Risk

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.

There is a low tsunami risk following this earthquake, as it appears the epicenter was under land far away from the coast. However this was a very strong earthquake at a shallow depth that would have a very high risk at causing tsunami's if it would have occurred under sea. 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.	This earthquake had a magnitude of 7. Earthquakes of this strength could trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 18 km (11 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 22/10/26 23:38 (). 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.