Reviewed by USGSChina65y ago
M6.1 earthquake in Southern Qinghai, China
Monday, December 4, 1961, 12:38:14 UTC · 33.344°N, 95.252°E
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck in Southern Qinghai, China on Monday, December 4, 1961, 12:38:14 UTC, at a depth of 15.8 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on June 23, 1934.
- Magnitude
- 6.1
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 16 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
20 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 42 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
571 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
16 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 14 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.2161 km NNE of Nagqu, ChinaJune 23, 1934 · 242 km W of this epicenter
- 6.1Southern Qinghai, ChinaApril 28, 1915 · 161 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.1Southern Qinghai, ChinaMay 5, 1915 · 144 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.030 km WSW of Qamdo, ChinaApril 23, 1953 · 297 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.990 km NNE of Nagqu, ChinaAugust 23, 1938 · 292 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.9202 km NNE of Nagqu, ChinaApril 27, 1959 · 236 km W of this epicenter
- 5.7258 km NNW of Qamdo, ChinaOctober 30, 1950 · 59 km E of this epicenter
- 5.7210 km NE of Nagqu, ChinaFebruary 16, 1940 · 154 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 424 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1738M6.5
Qinghai Province
1738 · 125 km away · intensity VIII
336 deaths
- 1834M5.5
Qinghai Province
1834 · 167 km away · intensity VII
88 deaths
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.