Significant earthquakes of 2002

December 25, 2002 Earthquake: Wuqia, Xinjiang, China

December 25, 2002 · M5.7

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Wuqia, Xinjiang, China on December 25, 2002 at 12:57:03 UTC, 10 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
December 25, 2002
Time
12:57:03 UTC
Place
Wuqia, Xinjiang, China
Magnitude
5.7 (Mw)
Focal depth
10 km (6 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
39.570° N, 75.254° E
Country
China

The toll

Damage
Limited (under about $1 million)
Houses destroyed
Some (about 51 to 100)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Several houses destroyed, some buildings damaged and a

landslide blocked a highway in Wuqia. Felt at Kashi. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 2002The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2002Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5669.