On July 25th, at 10:13 am, a 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, with a depth of 19 kilometers.
According to the official determination of the China Earthquake Networks Center, the epicenter of the earthquake was located at 35.85 degrees north latitude and 111.27 degrees east longitude. It was 16 kilometers from Xiangfen County, 26 kilometers from Xinjiang County, 27 kilometers from Houma City, 30 kilometers from Quwo County, 38 kilometers from Yaodu District, and 35 kilometers from Linfen City, with a distance of 248 kilometers from Taiyuan City.
The China Earthquake Networks Center’s rapid report catalog shows that within a 200-kilometer radius of the epicenter, the largest earthquake in the past five years occurred on January 10, 2025, with a magnitude of 4.1 in Yaodu District, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, 35 kilometers away from the current epicenter.
According to a popular Weibo account, “Fengyunmengyuan,” the epicenter was on the edge of the Fenhe River fault zone (with a close relationship to the Luoyunshan Mountain Frontal fault). This earthquake is not expected to cause destructive effects, but the seismic intensity near the epicenter in the Fenhe River Valley is relatively strong. In addition, areas likely to have felt the quake include many regions in the southern part of Shanxi, the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi, and the western part of Henan.
Many netizens shared their experiences, saying, “Yuncheng shook me awake from my bed.” “Houma woke me up while I was sleeping.” “Yaodu District in Linfen City felt a strong tremor, shaking twice.” “Xinjiang had a strong tremor.” “Xiangfen felt a strong quake.” “Sanmenxia felt a clear tremor.”
One person shared, “I was so scared in the earthquake zone that I ran downstairs. Minor tremors can’t kill you, but we don’t know if there will be aftershocks.” Another person expressed fear, “It scared me. I’m on the 23rd floor tutoring a first grader… It’s just the two of us at home.” Someone else noted, “No wonder I felt the house shaking just now.” “It shook noticeably for 3 to 5 seconds… the movement was quite strong… I received the warning alert only after the shaking stopped. Now everyone is downstairs, observing the situation.”