Tibet experienced 3 earthquake tremors within 5 hours on the morning of Saturday, 24 October 2026. According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), their magnitudes were 4.0, 4.6 and 4.5. All three tremors were recorded between 1 am and 6 am Indian Standard Time. The strongest tremor was of magnitude 4.6, with its epicentre at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Details of the three earthquakes
First earthquake: 1:08 am, magnitude 4.0, depth 15 kilometres.
Second earthquake: 2:07 am, magnitude 4.6, depth 10 kilometres.
Third earthquake: 5:38 am, magnitude 4.5, depth 10 kilometres.
A 4.6 magnitude tremor in China too
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake was also recorded in neighbouring China at 4:09 am Indian Standard Time. Its epicentre was at a depth of 10 kilometres, located at 32.920 degrees north latitude and 93.761 degrees east longitude.
Devastation two days ago
Earlier, on Thursday evening, a powerful magnitude 7 earthquake in Tibet killed at least 16 people and injured 54. According to Chinese state media, hundreds of houses collapsed in Nagqu city in northern Tibet. Officials said 339 houses and 20 livestock enclosures were brought down.
Relief and rescue operations
Relief and rescue work is continuing in the affected areas, with more than 1,600 rescuers deployed. Relief supplies sent include around 3,000 tents, 1,000 prefabricated housing units, folding beds, torches and winter clothing.
Why do earthquakes occur?
The Earth’s outer crust is divided into several large and small tectonic plates that are constantly moving. When pressure builds up between them and the energy stored in rocks is suddenly released, seismic waves are produced, which are felt as tremors on the surface. The impact of an earthquake depends on the distance from the epicentre, depth, magnitude and the nature of the local ground. The extent of damage is not determined by magnitude alone.
How is magnitude measured?
The magnitude of an earthquake and the energy released are assessed using modern seismometers and scientific measurement methods. News reports often state an earthquake’s magnitude, which in everyday speech is called the Richter scale reading. Scientific reports may use different scales for the calculation.
