February 20, 2009 Earthquake: Xinjiang Province, China
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Xinjiang Province, China on February 20, 2009 at 10:02:29 UTC, 17 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
- February 20, 2009
- Time
- 10:02:29 UTC
- Place
- Xinjiang Province, China
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.657° N, 78.692° E
- Country
- China
- Region
- Central Asia and Caucasus
- USGS record
- The USGS’s page for this earthquake
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 5,613; 331 with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses damaged
- 331; 5,613 with its tsunami and other effects
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 happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
At least 331 homes destroyed and 5,613 damaged in the Akqi-Kalpin area.
From the USGS event page for usp000gu7d. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Magnitude estimates
The magnitudes the USGS catalog lists for this earthquake, by scale and by who computed them. NCEI’s own scales are in the table above.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.26 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
At least 331 homes destroyed and 5,613 damaged in the Akqi-Kalpin area. (reference #1053)
Sources NCEI cites
The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.
- #1053 National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) (1971 to 2013). Preliminary Determination of Epicenters (PDE), a weekly and monthly publication, National Earthquake Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, Colorado, 1971 to 2013.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 24, 2003, Bachu, S. Xinjiang, China
- March 19, 1996, Artux, Jiashi, Bachu, Kashi, S. Xinjiang, China
- January 21, 1997, Jiashi County, Southern Xinjiang, China
- April 11, 1997, S. Xinjiang, Bachu, Shule, Yingjisha, China
- February 25, 2003, Bachu, S. Xinjiang, China
- February 11, 1969, Wushi, Xinjiang Province, China
- January 22, 2024, Xinjiang Province, Kazakhstan, China
- August 27, 1998, Jiashi, Southern Xinjiang, China
- January 19, 2020, Xinjiang Province, China
- May 4, 2003, Yopurga, S. Xinjiang, China
- February 25, 1991, Kalpin, S Xinjiang, China
- January 24, 1987, Xingjiang Weiwuer Zizhiqu Province, Wushi, China
- March 11, 2013, S, Xinjian Province, China
- April 13, 1961, Xinjiang, China
- February 14, 2005, Wushi, Xinjiang Province, China
More
Significant earthquakes of 2009The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2009Recent 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 8279. The written accounts and the magnitude estimates are from the USGS earthquake catalog, event usp000gu7d, matched to this record by time, place and magnitude.