Reviewed by USGSChina72y ago
M5.9 earthquake in Western Sichuan, China
Saturday, October 1, 1955, 06:29:58 UTC · 29.977°N, 101.429°E
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck in Western Sichuan, China on Saturday, October 1, 1955, 06:29:58 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on April 14, 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 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 21 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
403 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 33 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.3151 km W of Kangding, ChinaMay 25, 1948 · 101 km W of this epicenter
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 111 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.119 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaApril 14, 1955 · 32 km E of this epicenter
- 7.0184 km NW of Kangding, ChinaMarch 24, 1923 · 160 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.892 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaMay 16, 1936 · 265 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 99 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.793 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaApril 26, 1936 · 264 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.659 km N of Xichang, ChinaSeptember 30, 1952 · 190 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 34,258 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 256 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1923M7.3
Sichuan Province
24 Mar 1923 · 174 km away · intensity X
4,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M6.5
Sichuan Province
8 Dec 1816 · 173 km away · intensity VIII
2,854 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1870M7.3
Sichuan Province: Batang
11 Apr 1870 · 234 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M7.3
Sichuan Province
25 May 1948 · 104 km away · intensity X
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 220 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.