Earthquakes medium

M 5.1 Earthquake 115 km NE of Joshīmath, India

Source: USGS · India

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 115 km NE of Joshīmath. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.1 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,720 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.1 event ranks stronger than 65% of them (rank #449 by magnitude).

The earthquake report, at a glance

Magnitude
M 5.1
USGS class
Moderate
Location
115 km NE of Joshīmath
Archive rank
#449 of 1,720
Source
USGS
Published
September 3, 2026
MODERATE

Sits above 65% of the 1,720 earthquakes in the archive by magnitude; 448 ran stronger.

Record status: a snapshot from USGS, not a final record. Check USGS's own event page for aftershocks and any later revision to the magnitude shown here.

What Happened

A magnitude 5.1 mb earthquake struck 115 km NE of Joshīmath, India, on August 3, 2026, at 12:16:36 UTC. The event was recorded at a depth of 10 km.

Location Details

The earthquake was located at coordinates 31.3618°N, 80.33°E, approximately 115 km northeast of Joshīmath, India. A depth of 10 km is classified as shallow (less than 20 km).

Impact Assessment

No felt reports were recorded. There was no tsunami advisory (tsunami flag: 0) and no alert level was issued.

What You Should Know

Earthquakes of this magnitude are classified as light and can cause noticeable shaking with possible light damage. Aftershocks are possible following any seismic event.

Source

USGS Event Page

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

Related Earthquakes

All Earthquakes →

M 5.2 - 66 km E of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea

USGS · September 14, 2026

M 5.3 Earthquake off the Coast of Michoacan, Mexico

USGS · September 14, 2026

M 5.2 Earthquake 135 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands

USGS · September 14, 2026

Elsewhere in the country: similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Similar body length

Nearest notices by article body length (782 characters here).

Road Weather Alert for Sydney's Western Suburbs 782 chars Bushfire Advice for Algies Rd, Belbora in Mid-Coast 782 chars Planned Burn Alert in Cootamundra-Gundagai Area 782 chars Yellow Cold Warning Issued for Resolute by Environment Canada 782 chars

Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to September 3, 2026.

Yellow Heat Warning Issued for Eastern Lambton County (Sep 3, 2026) medium Yellow Fog Advisory in Effect for Renfrew - Arnprior - Calabogie medium Yellow Rainfall Warning Issued for Grande Prairie County medium Flood Watch Issued for Multiple Rivers in Tasmania medium

What People Ask

What people usually ask about a notice like this one.

How strong was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 5.1 mb earthquake occurred 115 km northeast of Joshīmath, India, at a depth of 10 km.
How should a magnitude 5.1 ("Moderate") event be understood? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.1 as "Moderate" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are often felt near the epicenter and can cause minor damage to vulnerable structures, though widespread damage is uncommon.
Where does this event rank against Areazine's other recorded earthquakes? ▾
This is the #449 strongest of the 1,720 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 65% of them and weaker than 448 others.
Was Joshīmath likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 115 km NE of Joshīmath. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.

The official sources

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow (EPA / NOAA)

Real-time AQI for every monitored U.S. location

National Weather Service

Active watches, warnings, and advisories, NOAA

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference behind every AQI category