M4.8 earthquake 39 km WSW of Kashgar, China
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 39 km WSW of Kashgar, China on Fri, Dec 20, 1985, 7:52 AM GMT+6 (01:52 UTC), 46 km (29 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 54 km WNW of Kashgar, China. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-12-20 01:52:58 UTC
- Depth
- 46.1 km (28.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 39.296° N, 75.588° E
- Region
- China
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.254 km WNW of Kashgar, China · 14847 days ago · 18 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.515 km NW of Kashgar, China · 14831 days ago · 33 km deep · 36 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChina earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002p3n. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:10 AM UTC.