Reviewed by USGSChina75y ago
M6.0 earthquake 196 km W of Laojunmiao, China
Wednesday, January 23, 1952, 03:29:29 UTC · 39.733°N, 95.438°E
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 196 km W of Laojunmiao, China on Wednesday, January 23, 1952, 03:29:29 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on December 26, 1951.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
13 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 28 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
1,096 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Amur and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
35 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 8 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.8108 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaDecember 25, 1932 · 101 km E of this epicenter
- 6.2106 km SSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaApril 19, 1941 · 170 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.2193 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaDecember 26, 1951 · 28 km S of this epicenter
- 6.2161 km S of Laojunmiao, ChinaMarch 15, 1927 · 229 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.1281 km WSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaSeptember 4, 1917 · 98 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.8188 km SSW of Laojunmiao, ChinaMarch 11, 1934 · 175 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.7northern Qinghai, ChinaNovember 29, 1935 · 208 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.6140 km SW of Laojunmiao, ChinaDecember 25, 1932 · 128 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 311 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1932M7.6
Gansu Province
25 Dec 1932 · 108 km away · intensity X
275 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1785M6.0
Gansu Province: Huihuipu
18 Apr 1785 · 220 km away · intensity VIII
36 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.