Reviewed by USGSChina65y ago
M6.6 earthquake northern Qinghai, China
Monday, May 21, 1962, 12:02:54 UTC · 36.929°N, 95.925°E
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck northern Qinghai, China on Monday, May 21, 1962, 12:02:54 UTC, at a depth of 17.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on January 7, 1937.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 17 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VIII
- Severe (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
120 kilotons of TNT
That is about 8 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 251 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
968 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
17 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 17 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8108 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaDecember 25, 1932 · 287 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8Southern Qinghai, ChinaJanuary 7, 1937 · 242 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.5200 km S of Jiuquan, ChinaJuly 13, 1930 · 233 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.2106 km SSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaApril 19, 1941 · 253 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.2193 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaDecember 26, 1951 · 287 km N of this epicenter
- 6.2161 km S of Laojunmiao, ChinaMarch 15, 1927 · 212 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.1281 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaSeptember 4, 1917 · 273 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.1northern Qinghai, ChinaFebruary 4, 1918 · 109 km W 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. The most severe:
- 1937M7.5
Qinghai Province
7 Jan 1937 · 219 km away · intensity X
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1962M6.8
Qinghai Province
21 May 1962 · 20 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.