Reviewed by USGSChina75y ago
M6.6 earthquake 59 km N of Xichang, China
Tuesday, September 30, 1952, 12:52:03 UTC · 28.430°N, 102.250°E
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 59 km N of Xichang, China on Tuesday, September 30, 1952, 12:52:03 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on May 25, 1948.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VIII
- Severe (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
128 kilotons of TNT
That is about 9 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 269 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
270 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
10 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 27 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 · 261 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 297 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.042 km W of Xunchang, ChinaJuly 30, 1917 · 199 km E of this epicenter
- 6.892 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaMay 16, 1936 · 140 km E of this epicenter
- 6.8143 km WSW of Kangding, ChinaFebruary 9, 1908 · 191 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.793 km SSW of Luocheng, ChinaApril 26, 1936 · 139 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3177 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaOctober 20, 1923 · 297 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3eastern Sichuan, ChinaDecember 18, 1935 · 135 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 33 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 25,299 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 70 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1917M6.8
Yunnan Province
30 Jul 1917 · 178 km away · intensity IX
1,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1948M7.3
Sichuan Province
25 May 1948 · 208 km away · intensity X
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1786M7.5
Sichuan Province: S Of Kangding
1 Jun 1786 · 153 km away · intensity IX
435 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1893M6.8
Sichuan Province
29 Aug 1893 · 241 km away · intensity IX
288 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1792M6.0
Sichuan Province: N Of Qianning
7 Sep 1792 · 295 km away · intensity VIII
205 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.