M5.5 earthquake 180 km SSE of Turpan, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 180 km SSE of Turpan, China on Tue, Dec 22, 1987, 6:16 AM GMT+6 (00:16 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-12-22 00:16:39 UTC
- Depth
- 20.5 km (12.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 41.360° N, 89.638° E
- Region
- China
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.49 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Depth from broadband displacement seismograms. FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=210 Dip=65 Slip=90 NP2:Strike=30 Dip=25 Slip=90 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=70 Azm=120 (P) Plg=20 Azm=300 Comment: The focal mechanism is poorly controlled and corresponds to reverse faulting. The preferred fault plane is NP2. RADIATED ENERGY No. of sta: 4 Focal mech. C Energy 6.6+1.7*10**13 Nm MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 11 No. of sta: 8 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=1.01 Mtt=0.41 Mff=-1.42 Mrt=-1.16 Mrf=-1.24 Mtf=-0.10 Principal axes: (T) Val=2.16 Plg=54 Azm=153 (N) Val=-0.08 Plg=23 Azm=27 (P) Val=-2.08 Plg=26 Azm=285 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.1*10**17 NP1:Strike=335 Dip=28 Slip=34 NP2:Strike=214 Dip=75 Slip=114 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 11S, 26C Centroid Location: Origin Time 00:16:42.9 0.4 Lat 41.27N 0.07 Lon 89.75E 0.05 Dep 19.0 BDY Half-duration 2.1 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=1.69 0.09 Mtt=0.13 0.10 Mff=-1.82 0.08 Mrt=-0.97 0.14 Mrf=-0.18 0.21 Mtf=0.73 0.09 Principal Axes: (T) Val=2.21 Plg=62 Azm=165 (N) Val=-0.14 Plg=28 Azm=339 (P) Val=-2.07 Plg=2 Azm=71 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.1*10**17 NP1:Strike=186 Dip=49 Slip=128 NP2:Strike=316 Dip=53 Slip=54
From the USGS event page for usp0003bfe. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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 2.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
Earthquakes todayChina earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003bfe (also filed as gcmtb122287a, gcmt19871222001639, iscgem451279). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 12:09 PM UTC.