Earthquakes in China Today
Most of China's damaging earthquakes come from the India–Eurasia collision, which pushes crustal blocks of the Tibetan Plateau east against the Sichuan Basin and the North China Plain. That stress produced the 1976 Tangshan and 2008 Wenchuan earthquakes, two of the deadliest of the past century.
Danger Level (72h)
72-hour composite hazard forecast
Recent Quakes (30d)
Recorded in the last 30 days
Max Magnitude (30d)
Largest earthquake in the last 30 days
China is seismically quiet in our catalogue. The tectonic background below explains why, and what would change it.
Yibin, Sichuan, China
4mo ago•10 km•Felt by about 11,611,069 people
Recent earthquakes
17Counts cover the seismic belts this platform monitors in China, not its administrative borders. A monitored belt can reach across a border, and events there are listed with the country of their epicentre.
Monitored regions
Volcanoes of China
10 Holocene volcanoes under seismic monitoring
Tectonic setting
Most of China's damaging earthquakes come from the India–Eurasia collision, which pushes crustal blocks of the Tibetan Plateau east against the Sichuan Basin and the North China Plain. That stress produced the 1976 Tangshan and 2008 Wenchuan earthquakes, two of the deadliest of the past century.
Frequently asked questions
How often do earthquakes occur in China?
Our catalogue recorded 17 earthquakes across the 1 seismic belts monitored in China over the last 30 days, the strongest reaching M4.7.
Why are there so many earthquakes in China?
Most of China's damaging earthquakes come from the India–Eurasia collision, which pushes crustal blocks of the Tibetan Plateau east against the Sichuan Basin and the North China Plain. That stress produced the 1976 Tangshan and 2008 Wenchuan earthquakes, two of the deadliest of the past century.
What was the strongest earthquake in China?
The strongest earthquake in China in our historical catalogue is the M8.3 event of December 16, 1920. Death toll: 235,502.
What is the emergency number in China?
The emergency number in China is 119, answered by Fire and rescue (ambulance 120). After strong shaking, keep the line free for those trapped or injured and check official channels for aftershock and tsunami advisories.
Who monitors earthquakes in China?
The national seismic authority is China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). EarthquakeLive cross-checks its bulletins against 18 international networks, so an event may appear here with a slightly different magnitude until the agencies converge on a final solution.