Reviewed by USGSChina64y ago
M6.7 earthquake in Southern Qinghai, China
Friday, April 19, 1963, 07:35:24 UTC · 35.613°N, 96.993°E
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck in Southern Qinghai, China on Friday, April 19, 1963, 07:35:24 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on January 7, 1937.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 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
169 kilotons of TNT
That is about 11 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 355 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
830 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
20 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 19 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8Southern Qinghai, ChinaJanuary 7, 1937 · 76 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.6northern Qinghai, ChinaMay 21, 1962 · 175 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5200 km S of Jiuquan, ChinaJuly 13, 1930 · 282 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.1Southern Qinghai, ChinaApril 28, 1915 · 175 km S of this epicenter
- 6.1northern Qinghai, ChinaFebruary 4, 1918 · 248 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.1Southern Qinghai, ChinaDecember 4, 1961 · 299 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.1Southern Qinghai, ChinaMay 5, 1915 · 183 km S of this epicenter
- 6.0282 km WSW of Xining, ChinaJanuary 10, 1940 · 191 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 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 · 260 km away · intensity VIII
336 deaths
- 1834M5.5
Qinghai Province
1834 · 291 km away · intensity VII
88 deaths
- 1937M7.5
Qinghai Province
7 Jan 1937 · 56 km away · intensity X
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1963M7.0
Qinghai Province
19 Apr 1963 · 10 km away · intensity VIII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1962M6.8
Qinghai Province
21 May 1962 · 188 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.