Reviewed by USGSChina68y ago
M5.9 earthquake 202 km NNE of Nagqu, China
Monday, April 27, 1959, 13:09:25 UTC · 33.218°N, 92.720°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 202 km NNE of Nagqu, China on Monday, April 27, 1959, 13:09:25 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on September 14, 1952.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
10 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 21 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
613 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
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 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 21 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.789 km WSW of Nagqu, ChinaNovember 18, 1951 · 277 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3123 km WSW of Nagqu, ChinaDecember 26, 1951 · 285 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.2161 km NNE of Nagqu, ChinaJune 23, 1934 · 45 km S of this epicenter
- 6.279 km SSW of Nagqu, ChinaOctober 4, 1940 · 282 km S of this epicenter
- 6.182 km SW of Nagqu, ChinaNovember 17, 1951 · 281 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.1237 km NW of Nagqu, ChinaAugust 31, 1925 · 225 km W of this epicenter
- 6.1249 km NW of Nagqu, ChinaDecember 2, 1938 · 220 km W of this epicenter
- 6.0Southern Qinghai, ChinaSeptember 14, 1952 · 148 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1951M7.5
Tibet (Xizang Province)
18 Nov 1951 · 266 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.