Reviewed by USGSChina72y ago
M5.9 earthquake 29 km S of Dadukou, China
Wednesday, September 28, 1955, 01:46:39 UTC · 26.280°N, 101.671°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 29 km S of Dadukou, China on Wednesday, September 28, 1955, 01:46:39 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on September 23, 1955.
- 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 the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
362 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Yangtze 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 24 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.824 km NE of Dali, ChinaMarch 16, 1925 · 142 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.833 km WSW of Yuxi, ChinaDecember 21, 1913 · 231 km S of this epicenter
- 6.711 km SE of Dadukou, ChinaSeptember 23, 1955 · 23 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.659 km N of Xichang, ChinaSeptember 30, 1952 · 246 km N of this epicenter
- 6.438 km SSW of Lijiang, ChinaDecember 21, 1951 · 168 km W of this epicenter
- 6.350 km NNW of Lijiang, ChinaJune 7, 1933 · 200 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.260 km WNW of Dadukou, ChinaJune 7, 1955 · 71 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.245 km SSW of Yuxi, ChinaJanuary 12, 1934 · 271 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 53 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 46,876 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 180 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1833M8.0
Yunnan Province
6 Sep 1833 · 179 km away · intensity XI
6,700 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1925M6.9
Yunnan Province: Talifu
16 Mar 1925 · 142 km away
5,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1713M6.8
Yunnan Province: S Of Xundian
26 Feb 1713 · 182 km away · intensity IX
2,100 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1799M6.5
Yunnan Province
27 Aug 1799 · 285 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1887M6.8
Yunnan Province
16 Dec 1887 · 299 km away · intensity IX
2,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.