Reviewed by USGSNepal61y ago
M5.5 earthquake 34 km SE of Dārchulā, Nepal
Monday, June 27, 1966, 13:55:50 UTC · 29.610°N, 80.805°E
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 34 km SE of Dārchulā, Nepal on Monday, June 27, 1966, 13:55:50 UTC, at a depth of 12.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on June 27, 1966.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 13 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 5 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
74 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
13 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 41 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.021 km SE of Dārchulā, NepalAugust 28, 1916 · 13 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9NepalMay 27, 1936 · 280 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.8212 km ENE of Burang, ChinaOctober 17, 1944 · 286 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7138 km NE of Joshīmath, IndiaMarch 6, 1966 · 215 km N of this epicenter
- 6.637 km ESE of Dārchulā, NepalJune 27, 1966 · 15 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.588 km ENE of Joshīmath, IndiaOctober 14, 1911 · 160 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5205 km ENE of Burang, ChinaOctober 29, 1944 · 274 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.573 km E of Burang, ChinaMarch 6, 1913 · 127 km NE 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 95 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1966M6.3
Nepal-India
27 Jun 1966 · 8 km away · intensity VIII
80 deaths$1 million damage
- 1966M5.6
N
15 Aug 1966 · 211 km away
15 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1803M7.5
Uttarakhand, Mathura (Muttra)
1 Sep 1803 · 232 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1916M7.7
Nepal; Tibet (Xizang Province)
28 Aug 1916 · 47 km away
- 1833M7.5
Lohughar
30 May 1833 · 72 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.