M7.0 Earthquake 128 km WNW of Aykol, China — January 22, 2024
2024-01-22 18:09:04 UTC (2024-01-22) · approx. 11:09 PM UTC+5 local
Felt by 471 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.5 (violent).
On January 22, 2024 at 18:09 UTC, a magnitude 7.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 128 km WNW of Aykol, China, at a depth of 13.0 km and coordinates 41.2555°, 78.6538°. The earthquake was reported felt by 471 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.5 (violent). The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert level for this event, indicating widespread severe impact likely. This earthquake was detected by 121 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 2245, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Yamansu (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 41 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 8.5 (violent), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Severe shaking causing considerable damage. Buildings may shift off foundations. Walls crack and may partially collapse. Heavy furniture overturned.
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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 471 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
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 | 341,523 |
| MMI 4 | light | 8,622,807 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 2,966,428 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 188,148 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 54,061 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 1,041 |
Earthquake Details
78.6538°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.0 earthquake near Aykol, China?
The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck 128 km WNW of Aykol, China on January 22, 2024 at 18:09 UTC had a depth of 13.0 km. It was felt by 471 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.5 (violent). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 41.2555°, 78.6538°, which is 128 km WNW of Aykol, China. The nearest populated place is Yamansu (population 0).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.0 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000lsze). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, January 22, 2024). M7.0 Earthquake 128 km WNW of Aykol, China — January 22, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000lsze/