Moderate magnitude 4.2 earthquake at unknown depth18 Mar 02:16 UTC: First to report: NCS after 20 minutes.18 Mar 02:20: Now using data updates from USGSI didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeMar 18, 2026 01:55:49 UTC - Local time at epicenterWednesday, Mar 18, 2026, at 09:55 am (Asia/Urumqi GMT +8)Statusconfirmed (manually revised)Magnitude4.2Depth10 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude37.5386°N / 77.5312°ETumxuk, Xinjiang, ChinaSeismic antipode37.5386°S / 102.469°WQuality24 seismic stationsShaking intensityIV Light shaking near epicenterFelt0 reportsPrimary data sourceUSGS (United States Geological Survey)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeOvercast Clouds 6°C (43 F), humidity: 39%, wind: 2 m/s (5 kts) from SSEEstimated seismic energy released1.3 x 1011 joules (35 megawatt hours, equivalent to 30.1 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 4.2 | about seismic energy37 minutes agoMar 18, 2026 01:55 GMT / Mar 18, 2026 09:55 am (Urumqi time)Lat / Lng: 37.5386 / 77.5312: 75 km SSE of Zepu, ChinaSource: USGSOther sources: RaspberryShake: 4.5 / 10 km, NCS: 4.5 / 10 km, 1 more...Detail info | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-22819088',37.53860,77.53120,'37 minutes ago: Mag. 4.2, 75 km SSE of Zepu, China',html,'quakes-6-24.png',25,25,12,12,125]); function mkRep(id,notFelt){var nFelt=notFelt||false;var src="https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/app/earthquake-report.php?quakeId="+id;if(nFelt==true){src+="¬Felt=true";}window.open(src,"","status=0,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,height=400,width=350");} function locationHashChanged(e){-1!=e.oldURL.indexOf("#popupMap")&&closePopup()} window.onhashchange = locationHashChanged; function comment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=(t.dataset.id,document.getElementById("commentForm"));"none"==a.style.display?(t.appendChild(a),a.style.display="block"):a.style.display="none"}function sendComment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=t.parentNode.dataset.id,n=document.getElementById("commentContent"),p=n.value.trim();if(p){var o="id="+a+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId;o+="&comment="+decodeURIComponent(p),mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",o,function(e){e.responseText;alert("Thank you for submitting your comment!"),t.style.display="none",n.value=""})}}function flagReport(e){var t=e.parentNode.dataset.id;if(confirm("Report this as inappropriate?")){var a="id="+t+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&flagAsInappropriate=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",a,function(t){var a=t.responseText;alert(a),e.style.display="none"})}}function likeReport(e){var t="id="+e.parentNode.dataset.id+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&like=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",t,function(t){t.responseText;e.style.opacity=.5})}]]>[smaller] [bigger]Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in ChinaNearby placesThe closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Zepu, a town with 52,000 inhabitants in China, in 76 km (47 mi) distance north of the epicenter. People likely experienced weak shaking there.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry76 km (47 mi)N of epicenterZepu(pop: 51,700)III: WeakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina76 km (47 mi)NW of epicenterKaqun(pop: 18,700)III: WeakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina82 km (51 mi)NW of epicenterHuoshilafu(pop: 17,400)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina84 km (52 mi)W of epicenterDamusi(pop: 9,680)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina85 km (53 mi)N of epicenterKalasu(pop: 14,800)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina87 km (54 mi)NW of epicenterZirefuxiati(pop: 10,500)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina88 km (55 mi)NW of epicenterYak'airike(pop: 10,200)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina89 km (56 mi)N of epicenterYigai'erqi(pop: 27,000)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina90 km (56 mi)N of epicenterYingwusitang(pop: 10,600)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina92 km (57 mi)N of epicenterQia'erbage(pop: 13,000)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina95 km (59 mi)N of epicenterTuomuwusitang(pop: 29,600)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina96 km (59 mi)N of epicenterArele(pop: 17,400)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina98 km (61 mi)N of epicenterWudalike(pop: 31,500)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina101 km (63 mi)N of epicenterGulebage(pop: 22,300)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina101 km (63 mi)N of epicenterShache(pop: 128,100)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina103 km (64 mi)N of epicenterBaishikante(pop: 39,200)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina104 km (65 mi)NW of epicenterQarek(pop: 29,900)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina105 km (65 mi)N of epicenterMixia(pop: 32,400)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina106 km (66 mi)N of epicenterBage'awati(pop: 17,000)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina110 km (68 mi)N of epicenterYishikuli(pop: 29,900)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina114 km (71 mi)N of epicenterTage'erqi(pop: 34,600)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina116 km (72 mi)N of epicenterPaikeqi(pop: 19,800)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina116 km (72 mi)N of epicenterAlamaiti(pop: 23,600)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina120 km (74 mi)N of epicenterAwati(pop: 25,100)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina123 km (76 mi)N of epicenterKuoshi'airike(pop: 16,400)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina125 km (78 mi)N of epicenterAzhatebage(pop: 15,800)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina131 km (81 mi)N of epicenterElixku(pop: 36,800)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina141 km (88 mi)N of epicenterHuangdi(pop: 34,700)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina147 km (91 mi)N of epicenterDunbage(pop: 17,600)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina185 km (115 mi)E of epicenterKageleke(pop: 75,700)II: Very weakHetian, XinjiangChina189 km (117 mi)E of epicenterZhawa(pop: 52,200)II: Very weakHetian, XinjiangChina195 km (121 mi)NW of epicenterYengisar(pop: 31,100)II: Very weakKaxgar Diqu, XinjiangChina197 km (122 mi)E of epicenterQaraqash(pop: 66,500)II: Very weakHetian, XinjiangChina218 km (135 mi)E of epicenterGujangbagh(pop: 408,900)II: Very weakHetian, XinjiangChina253 km (157 mi)NW of epicenterKashgar(pop: 506,600)I: Not feltXinjiangChina268 km (167 mi)NW of epicenterArtux(pop: 285,000)I: Not feltKezilesu, XinjiangChina291 km (181 mi)NE of epicenterTumxuk(pop: 135,700)I: Not feltXinjiangChina5316 km (3303 mi)NW of epicenterAncona(pop: 90,000): Not feltThe MarchesItalyNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quakeThere are no user reports for this quake yet.If you felt it, be the first to report it!Get the Android appCompare Quake DataData for the same earthquake as reported by different agenciesThe more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.MagDepthTime GMT2026-03-18EpicenterAgency4.2± 0.1610 km6.2 mi(*)±2 km01:55:49.33975 km SSE of Zepu, ChinaEpicenter uncertainty: ± 10.6 kmUSGS (United States Geological Survey)4.510 km6.2 mi(*)01:55:52Southern Xinjiang, China49 km (31 mi) epicenter difference with USGSRaspberryShake (RaspberryShake)4.510 km6.2 mi(*)01:55:52Xinjiang, 401km NNE of Kargil, Laddakh, India49 km (31 mi) epicenter difference with USGSNCS (National Center for Seismology)4.210 km6.2 mi(*)01:55:49.339SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA0 km (0 mi) epicenter difference with USGSEMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)4.210 km6.2 mi(*)01:55:49southern xinjiang, china0 km (0 mi) epicenter difference with USGSIRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology)Notes:(*) A depth given as 10 km often means that the the depth of the quake could be not determined with sufficient accuracy.Aftershocks for this quakeNo aftershocks have been recorded so far. When aftershocks are detected, we will update this section.What are aftershocks?Larger earthquakes (above magnitude 5 or so) such as this one are usually followed by smaller ones known as aftershocks that occur in the same area during the days, weeks, months or even years after the main shock.[More info]What about this quake?Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake likely ruptured beneath a surface area of approximately 2 km2 (1 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 2 km (1 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Mar 18, 2026 09:55 am (Urumqi)37 minutes ago4.210 km0 km - This quake75 km SSE of Zepu, ChinaMain Shock (this quake)MoreMap of aftershocksPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquakeThe earthquake occurred 6 weeks after a magnitude 4.5 earthquake had hit on Friday, Feb 6, 2026, at 08:24 am local time (Asia/Urumqi GMT +6) in 92 km (57 mi) distance to the northwest:Mag. 4.5 earthquake 10 km NW of Huoshilafu - China - Feb 6, 2026 - The largest quake near the epicenter of this quake during the 10 years before was an event of magnitude 5.3. It had occurred 9 years earlier, on Friday, Jan 20, 2017, at 03:54 pm local time (Asia/Urumqi GMT +6) in Xinjiang, China:Mag. 5.3 earthquake Southern Xinjiang - China - Jan 20, 2017 - The strongest-ever (since 1900) recorded quake in this area measured magnitude 7.7. It had occurred 124 years ago earlier, on Friday, Aug 22, 1902, at 11:00 am local time (Asia/Shanghai GMT +8) in Xinjiang, China:Mag. 7.7 earthquake Kyrgyzstan-Xinjiang border region (China) - Aug 22, 1902 - Below is a list and map of larger or recent quakes that had occurred near the epicenter before this earthquake (within up to 100 km/61 mi distance, up to 300 km/183 mi for very large quakes above mag. 7). Filter and sort the list by magnitude or time.Max results102050100AllMagnitudeAll2+3+4+5+6+7+8+Time before48 hours1 week30 days1 year5 years30 yearsAny ageDate and TimeMagDepthDistanceLocationDetailsMapMar 1, 08:24 am (Kolkata)4.110 km41 km (25 mi) to the NW 40 km south of Zepu, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoFeb 6, 08:24 am (Urumqi)4.510 km92 km (57 mi) to the NW 10.5 km northwest of Huoshilafu, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoDec 12, 2025 07:52 pm (Kolkata)4.310 km11 km (6.9 mi) to the NE Xinjiang, 365km NNE of Kargil, Laddakh, IndiaInfoFeb 5, 2025 04:00 am (Urumqi)4.910 km120 km (75 mi) to the NW 72 km west of Shache, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoJan 5, 2025 05:42 am (Urumqi)4.410 km103 km (64 mi) to the NE 84 km east of Shache, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoDec 2, 2023 06:59 pm (Urumqi)4.85 km27 km (17 mi) to the W 93 km south of Shache, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoNov 17, 2023 04:30 pm (Urumqi)4.910 km76 km (47 mi) to the N 43 km southeast of Shache, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoAug 3, 2023 01:32 pm (Shanghai)4.810 km94 km (59 mi) to the NE 114 km southeast of Shache, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoJun 25, 2023 09:16 am (Shanghai)4.910 km95 km (59 mi) to the N China: 449km NNE of Kargil, Laddakh, IndiaInfoOct 23, 2022 09:06 pm (Urumqi)5.110 km29 km (18 mi) to the E 91 km northwest of Zangguy, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoJun 16, 2022 12:53 am (Shanghai)4.910 km46 km (28 mi) to the SE SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINAInfoMay 4, 2021 03:05 pm (Shanghai)5.110 km89 km (56 mi) to the N 443km NNE of Kargil, Laddakh, India, ChinaInfoFeb 26, 2021 11:55 am (Shanghai)5.010 km64 km (40 mi) to the NE SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINAInfoJan 28, 2021 03:55 am (Shanghai)4.910 km55 km (34 mi) to the SE SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINAInfoOct 30, 2018 08:22 am (Urumqi)5.110 km148 km (92 mi) to the N near Magnitude 5.2, Near of AksuInfoJan 20, 2017 03:54 pm (Urumqi)5.312 km102 km (63 mi) to the NW Southern Xinjiang, ChinaInfoJul 24, 2015 07:23 pm (Urumqi)5.018 km52 km (32 mi) to the E Southern Xinjiang, ChinaInfoJul 3, 2015 09:11 am (Urumqi)4.810 km54 km (33 mi) to the E Southern Xinjiang, ChinaInfoJul 3, 2015 07:44 am (Urumqi)4.816 km61 km (38 mi) to the E 52 km west of Zangguy, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoJul 3, 2015 07:17 am (Urumqi)4.810 km41 km (26 mi) to the E 75 km northwest of Zangguy, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoJul 3, 2015 07:13 am (Urumqi)4.910 km58 km (36 mi) to the SE 57 km W of Zangguy, ChinaInfoJul 3, 2015 07:07 am (Urumqi)6.316 km58 km (36 mi) to the E Southern Xinjiang, China 5 reportsInfoMay 22, 2012 03:38 am (Urumqi)4.831 km59 km (36 mi) to the NW 53 km SSW of Shache, ChinaInfoDec 1, 2011 06:48 pm (Urumqi)4.932 km103 km (64 mi) to the NW 33 km WSW of Shache, ChinaInfoAug 5, 2000 06:50 pm (Urumqi)5.029 km63 km (39 mi) to the SW Southern Xinjiang, ChinaInfoDec 24, 1995 05:36 pm (Shanghai)5.233 km31 km (19 mi) to the E 84 km WNW of Zangguy, ChinaInfoJan 16, 1989 01:40 am (Urumqi)5.035 km90 km (56 mi) to the W 89 km SW of Shache, ChinaInfoAug 23, 1985 06:41 pm (Urumqi)7.06.8 km291 km (181 mi) to the NW 66 km west of Kashgar, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoAug 10, 1984 01:53 am (Urumqi)5.233 km76 km (47 mi) to the NW 53 km southwest of Shache, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoOct 27, 1975 08:27 pm (Urumqi)5.133 km59 km (37 mi) to the SE 62 km west of Zangguy, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoNov 16, 1974 04:31 am (Urumqi)5.034 km57 km (36 mi) to the W 116 km SSW of Shache, ChinaInfoApr 13, 1961 10:34 pm (Urumqi)7.035 km248 km (154 mi) to the N southern Xinjiang, ChinaInfoMar 5, 1956 01:12 pm (Urumqi)6.015 km28 km (17 mi) to the NW 83 km S of Shache, ChinaInfoApr 30, 1927 01:56 pm (Universal Time)6.215 km126 km (78 mi) to the N 34 km NE of Shache, ChinaInfoDec 7, 1925 08:34 am (Universal Time)6.015 km51 km (32 mi) to the W 105 km SSW of Shache, ChinaInfoJul 12, 1910 07:36 am (Universal Time)6.115 km31 km (19 mi) to the W 94 km S of Shache, ChinaInfoAug 22, 1902 11:00 am (Shanghai)7.70 km278 km (173 mi) to the N 105 km northeast of Kashgar, Xinjiang, ChinaInfoMap of earlier quakes in the area of this quakeMax results102050100AllMagnitudeAll2+3+4+5+6+7+8+Time before48 hours1 week30 days1 year5 years30 yearsAny ageOldest quakes are shown in yellow, most recent in red.[quakes -][quakes +][smaller][bigger]