Moderate 5.7 earthquake strikes Tibet
A magnitude 5.7 quake, which struck at 5.23am, is considered moderate and capable of causing considerable damage. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit a remote area of Tibet in western China on Monday, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake struck at 5.23am 142 kilometres south-southeast of the city of Qamdo at a depth of 50 kilometres, the USGS said.
The China Earthquake Networks Centre measured the quake as 6.1 magnitude at a relatively shallow 10 kilometres, the official Xinhua news agency reported, while the Hong Kong Observatory registered it as 5.9.
The USGS said the population of the region, which borders northeast India, mostly lived in buildings that were highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking but estimated there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage from the tremor.
Much of western China is prone to earthquakes.
Twin 5.6 and 5.9 magnitude quakes killed at least 95 people in Gansu province in July.