On the morning of October 3, 2025, a 3.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Shaodong City, Hunan Province, China, with noticeable tremors felt in multiple areas.
The China Earthquake Administration officially determined that at 10:32 a.m. on October 3, a 3.7 magnitude earthquake struck Shaodong City in Shaoyang, Hunan Province (latitude 27.28 degrees north, longitude 111.64 degrees east). The earthquake had a shallow depth of 0 kilometers and was categorized as a collapse earthquake.
The epicenter was approximately 11 kilometers from the city center of Shaodong, 15 kilometers from Shuangqing District, 19 kilometers from Beita District, 19 kilometers from Xinshao County, 21 kilometers from Daxiang District, 18 kilometers from Shaoyang City, and 162 kilometers from Changsha City.
According to the Shaoyang City Seismological Bureau, strong tremors were felt in the urban area of Shaodong City and the Niumasi Town. Shuangqing District, Beita District, Daxiang District, Xinshao, and some townships and streets in Shaoyang County also experienced tremors. There have been no reports of casualties or property damage so far, and inspection teams have been dispatched to the epicenter.
Based on the China Earthquake Administration’s rapid reporting catalog, there have been a total of two earthquakes of magnitude 3 or above within a 200-kilometer radius of the epicenter in the past five years, with the current earthquake being the largest.
Government officials from Niumasi Town near the epicenter responded to reporters, stating that the tremors were noticeable, and they are currently assessing the situation in the villages after the earthquake with no reports of casualties.
Several local residents told the Xiaoxiang Morning News that the tremors were strong, lasting for several seconds, with one resident in a high-rise building noting that “the house started shaking suddenly.”
Netizens around the area reported feeling the earthquake, with comments such as “Tremors were noticeable, surveillance footage shaking,” “Tremors felt in Beita District of Shaoyang City,” “Strong tremors in Shaodong,” “Tremors felt in Xiangtan,” and “Tremors reported in Zhuzhou.”
A popular science blogger and Weibo influencer, “Fengyun Mengyuan,” explained that “a collapse earthquake occurs when the underlying rock formations in natural karst landscapes or depleted mining areas cannot withstand the stress from above, leading to a collapse and triggering an earthquake with a shallow depth. Collapse earthquakes and naturally occurring tectonic earthquakes can be distinguished by characteristics of the seismic waves and are marked accordingly in reports. Fortunately, this earthquake is not expected to have widespread effects, but localized surface damage may occur in extremely small areas near the epicenter due to collapse.”