Reviewed by USGSChina100y ago
M6.0 earthquake 75 km WSW of Wuwei, China
Monday, May 23, 1927, 13:51:20 UTC · 37.645°N, 101.851°E
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 75 km WSW of Wuwei, China on Monday, May 23, 1927, 13:51:20 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on May 23, 1927.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
13 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 28 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
814 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Amur and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on May 23, 1927. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 5 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.731 km SSW of Wuwei, ChinaMay 22, 1927 · 57 km E of this epicenter
- 6.275 km WNW of Xining, ChinaApril 12, 1921 · 121 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.077 km SE of Wuwei, ChinaMay 23, 1927 · 132 km E of this epicenter
- 5.9170 km ENE of Jinchang, ChinaMarch 22, 1918 · 246 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.783 km E of Xining, ChinaMay 22, 1927 · 130 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 51,338 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1927M7.7
Gansu Province
22 May 1927 · 57 km away · intensity XI
40,912 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1921M6.2
Ningxia
12 Apr 1921 · 121 km away
10,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1852M6.0
Ningxia
26 May 1852 · 296 km away · intensity VIII
300 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1819M5.8
Qinghai Province
24 Feb 1819 · 176 km away · intensity VII
126 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1888
Gansu Province
2 Nov 1888 · 216 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1893M5.5
Qinghai Province
1 Jun 1893 · 116 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.