Earthquake.now

M4.5 Earthquake near Kuqa, China — 20 October 2026

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.5 was recorded near Kuqa, China on , with an epicentre 156 km southeast of Kuqa, at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It ranked as the 8th strongest of 13 earthquakes recorded in China in the preceding 30 days.

4.5 Light

Time (UTC): 2026-10-20 00:56:32

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.5 (light)

Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 40.6375, 84.1295

Location: 156 km SE of Kuqa, China

Country: China

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 312, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 06:33 local solar time at the epicentre, around dawn.

This event was shallower than 99% of the 298 earthquakes recorded in China in our catalogue and stronger than 34% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 40.6375, 84.1295 — 156 km southeast of Kuqa. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.3 earthquake 22 km west of here on 19 April 2025.

The nearest other settlements in our records are 乌鲁木齐 (43 km north), Kuqa (50 km west), Korla (53 km east-southeast) and Darya Boyi (154 km southwest).

Why the 10 km depth matters

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.5 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

31 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.0 event near Korla on 04 January 2026. This M4.5 event released about 5.6 times less energy than that event.

16 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 0 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the October 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in China during October 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in China

All recorded earthquakes in China →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Kuqa?

It measured magnitude 4.5 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.5 earthquake radiates roughly 85 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Kuqa?

The focus was 10 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Kuqa earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.5 and a focal depth of 10 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Kuqa happen?

20 October 2026 at 00:56 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.

How often do earthquakes happen near Kuqa?

31 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.0 event near Korla on 04 January 2026. This M4.5 event released about 5.6 times less energy than that event.