In the late afternoon of Saturday October 24th, 2026, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 aftershock hit under land 223 kilometer from Nagqu in China.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in China, 223 kilometer (139 mi) north-east of Nagqu in Tibet. 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: | Oct 24, 2026 16:39 (Shanghai Time) - Oct 24, 2026 08:39 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 223 km NE of Nagqu, Tibet, China. Coordinates 32°33'46"N 94°2'53"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 238 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.038 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 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
This earthquake may have been felt in China . Nagqu in Tibet, China is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 223 kilometer (139 mi) north-east of Nagqu.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 223 km (139 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nagqu Tibet, China. |
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 2 days before this earthquake hit, a larger 7 magnitude earthquake struck 32 km (20 mi) southwest of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.3 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | 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. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
10 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 08:24 (Shanghai Time) | 26 km (16 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
10 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 08:35 (Shanghai Time) | 17 km (11 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
12 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 10:53 (Shanghai Time) | 8 km (5 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
24 hrs later Oct 23, 2026 22:14 (Shanghai Time) | 26 km (16 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
1 day later Oct 23, 2026 22:41 (Shanghai Time) | 42 km (26 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
1 day later Oct 23, 2026 23:18 (Shanghai Time) | 64 km (40 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
1 day later Oct 24, 2026 04:37 (Shanghai Time) | 18 km (11 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
1 day later Oct 24, 2026 06:39 (Shanghai Time) | 25 km (15 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
1 day later Oct 24, 2026 08:07 (Shanghai Time) | 20 km (12 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
2 days later Oct 24, 2026 16:39 (Shanghai Time) | 32 km (20 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
2 days later Oct 24, 2026 21:26 (Shanghai Time) | 22 km (14 mi) N 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).Earthquakes like this are common in the region
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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
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 5.3. 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 25/10/26 08:28 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000u4lg
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261024_0000165
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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