Reviewed by USGSIndia23d ago
M5.1 earthquake 119 km NE of Joshīmath, India
Thursday, September 3, 2026, 08:16:36 UTC · 31.393°N, 80.349°E
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 119 km NE of Joshīmath, India on Thursday, September 3, 2026, 08:16:36 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on April 18, 2024.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
674 tons of TNT
That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
234 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 154 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.021 km SE of Dārchulā, NepalAugust 28, 1916 · 194 km S of this epicenter
- 6.832 km E of Uttarkāshi, IndiaOctober 19, 1991 · 165 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.8120 km E of Manāli, IndiaJanuary 19, 1975 · 216 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8212 km ENE of Burang, ChinaOctober 17, 1944 · 261 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7138 km NE of Joshīmath, IndiaMarch 6, 1966 · 20 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.637 km ESE of Dārchulā, NepalJune 27, 1966 · 196 km S of this epicenter
- 6.69 km NNW of Pīpalkoti, IndiaMarch 28, 1999 · 133 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.588 km ENE of Joshīmath, IndiaOctober 14, 1911 · 45 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 18 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,439 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1991M7.0
Chamoli, Uttarkashi, New Delhi, Chandigarh
19 Oct 1991 · 165 km away · intensity VIII
2,000 deaths$60 million damage
- 1980M6.5
Pithoragarh
29 Jul 1980 · 212 km away
200 deaths$245 million damage
- 1999M6.6
Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal
28 Mar 1999 · 133 km away · intensity VIII
100 deaths$70 million damage
- 1966M6.3
Nepal-India
27 Jun 1966 · 210 km away · intensity VIII
80 deaths$1 million damage
- 1975M6.8
Kashmir: Kinnaur District
19 Jan 1975 · 216 km away
47 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 2022M5.7
Sudurpashchim Province
8 Nov 2022 · 246 km away · intensity VIII
6 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.