Key Points:
- Tremors occurred within 18 minutes of each other.
- No immediate reports of casualties or damage.
- Qinghai is among China’s most seismically active regions.
ISLAMABAD: Two moderate earthquakes struck Xinghai county in China’s northwestern Qinghai province on Tuesday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), with no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The first earthquake, measuring magnitude 5.7, hit at 11:16 a.m. local time (0316 GMT), followed by a magnitude 5.8 tremor 18 minutes later, CENC said.
Both earthquakes occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) and were centred approximately 244 kilometres (152 miles) from Xining, the provincial capital, according to the Chinese seismic agency.
Chinese authorities were assessing the impact of the quakes and monitoring the area for potential aftershocks.
Qinghai, located on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, is one of China’s most earthquake-prone provinces due to tectonic activity caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.
The province has experienced several significant earthquakes in recent years. In January 2022, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Menyuan County in Qinghai, damaging roads and rail infrastructure but causing no fatalities.
More recently, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the province in June 2026, resulting in one death and several injuries.
China’s western regions, including Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu, regularly experience seismic activity, prompting authorities to maintain extensive earthquake monitoring and emergency response systems.
