Reviewed by USGSChina1d ago
M5.0 earthquake 15 km NNW of Xunchang, China
Friday, September 25, 2026, 23:57:33 UTC · 28.579°N, 104.643°E
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 15 km NNW of Xunchang, China on Friday, September 25, 2026, 23:57:33 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on September 25, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
58 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Yangtze plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event; the largest was M4.7 on September 26, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 136 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.958 km W of Tianpeng, ChinaMay 12, 2008 · 298 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.042 km W of Xunchang, ChinaJuly 30, 1917 · 40 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.892 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaMay 16, 1936 · 95 km W of this epicenter
- 6.872 km WSW of Xunchang, ChinaMay 10, 1974 · 72 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.793 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaApril 26, 1936 · 96 km W of this epicenter
- 6.659 km N of Xichang, ChinaSeptember 30, 1952 · 234 km W of this epicenter
- 6.644 km SE of Kangding, ChinaSeptember 5, 2022 · 264 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.656 km WSW of Linqiong, ChinaApril 20, 2013 · 257 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 54 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 132,031 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2008M7.9
Sichuan Province
12 May 2008 · 293 km away · intensity IX
87,652 deaths$86 billion damagetsunami
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 245 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1974M7.1
Yunnan And Sichuan Provinces, Chao-T'Ung
10 May 1974 · 72 km away
20,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1917M6.8
Yunnan Province
30 Jul 1917 · 90 km away · intensity IX
1,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 2014M6.2
Yunnan: Ludian: Longtoushan, Zhaotong
3 Aug 2014 · 196 km away · intensity VII
615 deaths$5.0 billion damage
- 1786M7.5
Sichuan Province: S Of Kangding
1 Jun 1786 · 282 km away · intensity IX
435 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.