USGS issues orange alert after magnitude 7.0 quake shakes Tibetan Plateau

The U.S. Geological Survey says about 111,000 people felt moderate to severe shaking from Thursday's magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Tibet and warns that some fatalities are possible. No casualties have been reported so far.

Ally Daily Editorial DeskOctober 22, 2026, 07:30 PMUpdated: October 22, 2026, 08:21 PM

USGS issues orange alert after magnitude 7.0 quake shakes Tibetan Plateau

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) issued an orange alert under its PAGER system after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Tibetan Plateau in western China at 10:33 p.m. local time on Thursday, Oct. 22. The agency said shaking impacts are likely and some fatalities are possible, estimating that about 111,000 people experienced moderate to severe shaking.

The orange level was driven by the economic loss estimate, which corresponds to losses of between $100 million and $1 billion. Chinese authorities have not reported any casualties or major damage so far in the remote, high-altitude area.

A seismograph (illustrative)

Agencies differ on depth

The USGS located the epicenter about 191 kilometers (119 miles) east-northeast of the city of Nagqu, at a depth of 18 kilometers. The China Earthquake Networks Center reported the same magnitude but put the depth at about 10 kilometers, while India's National Center for Seismology reported 173 kilometers. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock followed about 40 minutes later, and the USGS warned that more aftershocks, some with strong shaking, may follow.

According to the USGS, the quake was caused by normal faulting within the plateau, where the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates drives the uplift of the Himalayas. In January 2025, a quake the USGS measured at 7.1 killed 126 people in Tibet's Dingri county.

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