5.5

M5.5 Earthquake 126 km W of Rikaze, ChinaMay 11, 2025

2025-05-11 21:11:22 UTC (2025-05-11) · approx. 3:11 AM UTC+6 local

Felt by 17 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.0 (severe).

MagnitudeM5.5(mww)
Time21:11 UTC3:11 AM UTC+6
Depth9.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates29.054°, 87.607°
Felt by17DYFI responses· max MMI 8.0
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· yellow PAGER
yellow Alertlocal impact possible

On May 11, 2025 at 21:11 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 126 km W of Rikaze, China, at a depth of 9.0 km and coordinates 29.0536°, 87.6068°. The earthquake was reported felt by 17 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.0 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 151 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 663, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Quxar (population 0).

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

Quxarpop. 0
MMI 6.5 (very strong)
Sajiapop. 0
MMI 4.0 (moderate)
Jidingpop. 0
MMI 3.8 (light)
Ngamringpop. 0
MMI 3.8 (light)
Xegarpop. 0
MMI 3.7 (light)
Gyangkarpop. 0
MMI 3.7 (light)
Map showing earthquake epicenter at 29.05°, 87.61°

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.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.5 earthquake near 126 km W of Rikaze, China

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 17 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.5 earthquake near 126 km W of Rikaze, China

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)DescriptionPopulation exposed
MMI 3weak1,095,801
MMI 4light183,015
MMI 5moderate10,034
MMI 6strong20,951
MMI 7very strong921

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.5 mww
Depth
9.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
29.0536°N
87.6068°E
Felt Reports
17
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
8.0
severe
Community Intensity
7.9
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000pyq7
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
663
Stations Used
151
Azimuthal Gap
22.0°
Min Station Distance
2.401°
RMS Residual
0.67 sec
Last Updated
2025-07-24 21:30:14 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Rikaze, China?

The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck 126 km W of Rikaze, China on May 11, 2025 at 21:11 UTC had a depth of 9.0 km. It was felt by 17 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.0 (severe). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 29.0536°, 87.6068°, which is 126 km W of Rikaze, China. The nearest populated place is Quxar (population 0).

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.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000pyq7). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, May 11, 2025). M5.5 Earthquake 126 km W of Rikaze, ChinaMay 11, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000pyq7/