M5.6 earthquake - 269 km SSE of Dunhuang, China

What happened

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 269 km SSE of Dunhuang, China on 18 Aug 2026, 21:36 UTC at a depth of 6 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Guōlèmùdé, about 169 km away in Qinghai, China.