A Mw 7.1 earthquake struck Tibet on 7 January 2025, killing up to 400 people and becoming China's deadliest quake since December 2023.
Key Facts
- Magnitude
- 7.1 Mw
- Deaths
- 126–400 people
- Injured (China)
- 338 people
- Injured (Nepal)
- 13 people
- Focal depth
- 10 km
- Fault type
- Normal faulting
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The earthquake resulted from normal faulting within the continental crust at a shallow depth of 10 km beneath Tingri County in the Shigatse prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The region sits near the collision boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, making it seismically active.
On 7 January 2025 at 09:05 CST, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Tingri County, Tibet. Between 126 and 400 people were killed and 338 were injured in China. Shaking was felt across South Asia, injuring 13 people in Nepal and causing minor damage in northern India.
The disaster became China's deadliest earthquake since the Jishishan earthquake of December 2023 and the largest in the country since the Maduo earthquake of May 2021. The event prompted emergency response operations across the affected Shigatse region and drew international attention to seismic risk in the Tibetan Plateau.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 126 (earthquake)
Range: 126 – 400