2025 Tibet earthquake

On 7 January 2025, at 09:05 CST, an earthquake measuring  or  happened in Tingri County, located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of south-western China. At least 126 people were killed while 188 others were injured from the earthquake.

 Tectonic setting 
The Tibetan Plateau is high because of crust thickening caused by the collision of tectonic plates near the Himalayas. Faults in the plateau are linked to two main types: strike-slip and normal faults. The plateau stretches east–west, shown by north–south grabens, strike-slip faults, and GPS data.

Big earthquakes (magnitude 8.0 or so) mostly happen on strike-slip faults. Smaller earthquakes (magnitude 5.9 to 7.1) on normal faults occurred in 2008 at depths of 10–15 km with fault angles of 40–50 degrees. A 2010 study found that 85% of the energy from normal fault earthquakes in the last 43 years happened above 5 km elevation, suggesting these quakes are influenced by the pull of gravity.

 Earthquake 
200px|thumb|left| ShakeMap
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake had a magnitude of () of 7.1, while the China Earthquake Networks Center reported it as . It was caused by normal faulting in the Tibetan Plateau. The earthquake happened on a north-south fault that dipped either east or west.

Strong shaking was felt in Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. USGS models showed movement along a fault that stretched about 80 km (50 mi) and went 20 km (12 mi) deep. The largest slip was 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) or 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in), depending on the fault's direction.

 Impact 
The earthquake killed at least 126 people and injured 188 more in Tibet. Most deaths happened in Tingri County (32), with 2 each in Lhatse and Sakya counties. Over 1,000 homes collapsed in Tingri County, near the epicenter. It was the biggest earthquake in China since January 2024 and the deadliest since December 2023, when an earthquake killed 148 people in Gansu province. Many collapsed houses were reported in villages throughout Tingri County, trapping people under rubble. Three townships in the county reported fatalities. A hotel was damaged in Lhatse, and a police station in Nepal had small damage.

 Response 
After the earthquake, over 1,500 rescue workers, 75 vehicles, 4 dogs, and 7,030 tools were sent to help. A level-three emergency alert was issued, and people were evacuated to stay safe from aftershocks. Local officials provided extra support for rescue efforts. The government sent 22,000 relief items like tents, coats, quilts, and folding beds to help in the cold, high-altitude areas. The army also joined the rescue efforts, and the Mount Qomolangma scenic area was closed.

Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, called for full rescue efforts, care for the injured, repairs to infrastructure, and help for displaced people. In Nepal, security forces were sent to affected areas. At 2:00 p.m. on 7 January, 30 officers reached Shigatse, and 359 more were on their way to help.

 Related pages 
 April 2015 Nepal earthquake
Political problems of China

 References 

Category:2025 earthquakes
Category:2025 disasters in Asia
Category:2020s disasters in China
Category:2020s earthquakes in Asia
Category:January 2025 events
Category:Earthquakes in China
Category:Tibet