M4.6 earthquake 125 km W of Kashgar, China
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 125 km W of Kashgar, China on Sun, May 3, 1987, 3:38 AM GMT+6 (21:38 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 122 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
- 4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-05-02 21:38:33 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 39.569° N, 74.541° 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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3130 km N of Murghob, Tajikistan · 14383 days ago · 33 km deep · 68 km away
- 3.894 km ESE of Nookat, Kyrgyzstan · 14365 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
- 5.2122 km WNW of Kashgar, China · 14360 days ago · 10 km deep · 22 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChina earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00034nu. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 2:30 PM UTC.