A Preliminary Report of 07th January 2025, Xizang, China
Earthquake (M 7.1)
(Report No.: NCS-NSN-EPG-01/25)
National Centre for Seismology
Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India
Mausam Bhavan Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110 003
Earthquake Report on M 7.1, in Xizang, China occurred on 07th January 2025
An earthquake of magnitude M 7.1 struck at 06:35:18 IST in Xizang, Shigatse, China, with its epicentre
located at 28.86° N and 87.51° E and a focal depth of 10 km. The epicentre was approximately 100 km
northeast of Lobuche, Nepal; 175 km northwest of Gangtok, Sikkim; 430 km northeast of Patna, Bihar,
525 km northwest of Guwahati; and 380 km from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Following the mainshock,
sixteen aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 3.8 to 5.0 have been recorded till 13:00 IST. Figures
1 and 2 display the epicentre location and the earthquake's intensity map, respectively.
The epicentre of the earthquakes lies close to the ITSZ (Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone), situated along the
Indian-Eurasian plate boundary. Preliminary fault plane analyses suggest that the earthquakes were
caused by normal faulting at shallow depths (Figure 1). The fault plane solution indicates that the
rupture occurred along a plane oriented approximately in the North-South direction. This observation
is strongly supported by the distribution of aftershocks, which aligns well with the inferred fault
geometry.
A review of seismic activity over the past decade reveals that minor earthquakes have occurred in the
vicinity of the mainshock region, as shown in Figure 1. This indicates a certain level of pre-existing
seismicity in the area, potentially linked to the ongoing tectonic processes in the region.
The maximum observed intensity of the earthquake was reported to be VIII on the Modified Mercalli
Intensity (MMI) scale, concentrated near the source region (Figure 2). In contrast, regions farther away,
such as Bihar, experienced moderate intensity levels ranging from IV to V on the MMI scale. These
intensity distributions highlight the significant energy release near the epicentral zone.
The earthquake was widely felt across several states in eastern and northeastern India, including Bihar,
Sikkim, Assam, and West Bengal, as well as neighbouring regions. Within two hours of the event, more
than 12 felt reports were submitted by residents from these states through the official website and
mobile application. The reported intensities, based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale,
ranged from II to III, indicating light to very light shaking (Figure 3).
The maximum peak ground acceleration (PGA) recorded, is tabulated below:
Site Maximum PGA Distance from epicenter (km)
Gangtok 0.0013 175
Cooch Behar 0.0016 242
Madhubani 0.0170 316
responses suggest that the seismic waves propagated efficiently over a wide area, causing perceptible
ground motion even in regions located at considerable distances from the epicenter.
Figure 1: Map showing the location of the earthquake of M: 7.1 (Red Star) that occurred on 07th January
2025 in Xizang, China. The continuous thick black lines are the major fault system surrounding the
epicentral region. Filled yellow and violet circles are the aftershock events that occurred within a 120
km radius of today's epicentre. Black colour circles show the last 10-year earthquake, which occurred
in and around today's earthquake epicentre.
Figure 2: Expected Intensity map of the earthquake of M: 7.1 that occurred on 07th January 2025 in
Xizang, China.
Figure 3: Felt responses (squares) of the 07th January 2025 earthquake of M: 7.1 (blue circle) received
through www.seismo.gov.in and BhooKamp mobile-app. More than 12 responses were received
within two hours from the time of occurrence of an earthquake.
