Reviewed by USGSChina74y ago
M6.2 earthquake in Qinghai-Sichuan border region, China
Friday, October 31, 1952, 23:51:39 UTC · 33.224°N, 101.159°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck in Qinghai-Sichuan border region, China on Friday, October 31, 1952, 23:51:39 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on March 17, 1947.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · 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
29 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 61 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
630 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 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 20 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.6Qinghai-Sichuan border region, ChinaMarch 17, 1947 · 158 km W of this epicenter
- 7.4101 km WNW of Jiangyou, ChinaAugust 25, 1933 · 274 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.1150 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaAugust 30, 1904 · 287 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0184 km NW of Kangding, ChinaMarch 24, 1923 · 218 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5128 km NNW of Kangding, ChinaMay 29, 1919 · 237 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5296 km NE of Qamdo, ChinaAugust 25, 1919 · 188 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3Southern Qinghai, ChinaJuly 26, 1935 · 22 km W of this epicenter
- 6.1127 km WNW of Jiangyou, ChinaMarch 14, 1938 · 245 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 18,291 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1933M7.4
Sichuan Province
25 Aug 1933 · 274 km away · intensity X
9,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1923M7.3
Sichuan Province
24 Mar 1923 · 192 km away · intensity X
4,800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1816M6.5
Sichuan Province
8 Dec 1816 · 207 km away · intensity VIII
2,854 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 188 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1904M6.0
Sichuan Province
30 Aug 1904 · 226 km away · intensity VIII
400 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1792M6.0
Sichuan Province: N Of Qianning
7 Sep 1792 · 249 km away · intensity VIII
205 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.