Reviewed by USGSChina2mo ago
M4.8 earthquake 268 km SSE of Dunhuang, China
Friday, July 17, 2026, 01:08:11 UTC · 37.830°N, 95.467°E
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 268 km SSE of Dunhuang, China on Friday, July 17, 2026, 01:08:11 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on June 30, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
1,067 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on August 3, 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 126 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8108 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaDecember 25, 1932 · 205 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7Southern Qinghai, ChinaApril 19, 1963 · 281 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.6northern Qinghai, ChinaMay 21, 1962 · 108 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5200 km S of Jiuquan, ChinaJuly 13, 1930 · 243 km E of this epicenter
- 6.4278 km SSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaApril 17, 2003 · 95 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3262 km SSE of Dunhuang, ChinaJune 16, 2026 · 7 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3294 km SW of Laojunmiao, ChinaAugust 28, 2009 · 27 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3northern Qinghai, ChinaNovember 10, 2008 · 44 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 277 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1932M7.6
Gansu Province
25 Dec 1932 · 234 km away · intensity X
275 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 2002M5.5
Gansu Province: Yumne
14 Dec 2002 · 273 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 2004M5.4
Qinghai Province: Delingha
4 May 2004 · 119 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 2008M6.3
Qinghai Province
10 Nov 2008 · 44 km away
$4 million damage
- 1963M7.0
Qinghai Province
19 Apr 1963 · 273 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1962M6.8
Qinghai Province
21 May 1962 · 94 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.