M 5.9 Earthquake — ShakeMap MMI 7.4
270 km WSW of Yanglong, China — Very Strong shaking (MMI 7.4)
Geographic Context
This earthquake event occurred near Guōlèmùdé (approximately 170 km away) in China, located within a complex tectonic setting influenced by the India-Eurasia collision.
Event Assessment
This event is a moderate earthquake measuring 5.9 on the magnitude scale, with a focal depth of 6 km. Events of this magnitude are typically felt over a wide area and may cause damage to vulnerable structures. Calamity.live has classified it as "medium" severity with a severity value of 47.2. The computed Calamity Score is 21 out of 100, suggesting contained impact at this time. The primary scoring components are: intensity (38), historical (19), cascading (18). Data for this event was sourced from usgs_shakemap, one of the 250 scientific monitoring sources aggregated by Calamity.live.
Regional Monitoring Context
China has a documented history of earthquake events. Seismic monitoring in the region draws on data from multiple agencies including USGS, EMSC, and regional networks. Understanding local seismicity helps emergency management agencies plan for potential future events and assess building code adequacy. Earthquake hazard in any region depends on fault proximity, soil conditions, and building vulnerability — factors that can vary significantly even within a single metropolitan area.
Cascade Risk Analysis
This event may trigger secondary hazards through cascade effects. Cascade detection is an automated process that evaluates how primary disasters can trigger secondary events — for example, earthquakes triggering landslides, or volcanic eruptions causing lahars and pyroclastic flows. These secondary hazards can sometimes pose a greater threat than the initial event, particularly in mountainous terrain or densely populated areas.
Event Data
| Type | Earthquake |
| Severity | medium |
| Severity Value | 47.2 |
| Calamity Score | 21 / 100 |
| Confidence | 60% |
| Coordinates | 37.8208, 95.6095 |
| Nearest City | Guōlèmùdé (170 km) |
| Impact Tier | minor |
| Timestamp | 2026-08-18T21:36:28.032Z |
| Source | https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tlrj/shakemap |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Mag | 5.9 |
| Depth | 6 |
| Mmi | 7.362 |
| MmiDescription | Very Strong |
| Alert | yellow |
| Sig | 650 |
| Tsunami | false |
| Place | 270 km WSW of Yanglong, China |
| Types | ,ground-failure,losspager,origin,phase-data,shakemap, |
Cascade Risks
Safety Information
If you feel shaking: Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Move away from windows, heavy objects, and exterior walls. After shaking stops, check for injuries and structural damage. Be prepared for aftershocks, which can occur minutes to months after the mainshock. Follow instructions from local emergency management authorities.
This data is aggregated algorithmically from scientific sources. Not a replacement for official emergency warnings.
Calamity.live data shows a earthquake event with CalamityScore 21/100, near Guōlèmùdé (China), based on data from usgs_shakemap. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 197 scientific monitoring sources.