M5.5 Earthquake 269 km SSE of Dunhuang, China — August 18, 2026
2026-08-18 21:36:27 UTC (2026-08-18) · approx. 3:36 AM UTC+6 local
Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.5 (very strong).
On August 18, 2026 at 21:36 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 269 km SSE of Dunhuang, China, at a depth of 6.0 km and coordinates 37.8425°, 95.5713°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 120 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 465, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Golmud (population 215,214).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.8 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 344,650 |
| MMI 4 | light | 14,068 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 7,986 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 19 |
Earthquake Details
95.5713°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Dunhuang, China?
The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck 269 km SSE of Dunhuang, China on August 18, 2026 at 21:36 UTC had a depth of 6.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 37.8425°, 95.5713°, which is 269 km SSE of Dunhuang, China. The nearest populated place is Golmud (population 215,214).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.5 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000tlrj). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, August 18, 2026). M5.5 Earthquake 269 km SSE of Dunhuang, China — August 18, 2026. Retrieved September 9, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000tlrj/