A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.2 shook China’s Xinjiang region on Thursday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) reported. The quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 km, increasing the likelihood of strong aftershocks.Sharing the details on X, the NCS said, “EQ of M: 6.2, On: 04/12/2025 13:14:07 IST, Lat: 41.10 N, Long: 78.61 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Xinjiang, China.”This comes just days after another earthquake hit the region. On December 2, a magnitude 3.9 quake was recorded at the same depth. The NCS noted, “EQ of M: 3.9, On: 02/12/2025 17:15:31 IST, Lat: 35.78 N, Long: 77.97 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Xinjiang.”Shallow earthquakes often cause greater damage as seismic waves reach the surface quickly, resulting in stronger shaking and higher risk to lives and infrastructure.China remains one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries due to its position between the circum-Pacific and circum-Indian seismic belts. Pressure from the Pacific, Indian and Philippine plates has created extensive seismic fracture zones across the region.
