Reviewed by USGSChina76y ago
M5.7 earthquake 48 km SSE of Qamdo, China
Friday, April 6, 1951, 23:53:06 UTC · 30.731°N, 97.391°E
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 48 km SSE of Qamdo, China on Friday, April 6, 1951, 23:53:06 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on March 17, 1951.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- 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
6 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 12 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
293 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Eurasian and Indian 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 32 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.61950 Assam-Tibet EarthquakeAugust 15, 1950 · 279 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3151 km W of Kangding, ChinaMay 25, 1948 · 295 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3177 km WNW of Kangding, ChinaOctober 20, 1923 · 269 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3136 km NNE of Pāsighāt, IndiaAugust 18, 1950 · 224 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3167 km NNE of Shi Yomi, IndiaNovember 21, 1938 · 236 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.256 km NNW of Tezu, IndiaAugust 16, 1950 · 299 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.236 km SSE of Qamdo, ChinaMarch 17, 1951 · 13 km N of this epicenter
- 6.264 km NE of Pāsighāt, IndiaAugust 15, 1950 · 294 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 4,934 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1870M7.3
Sichuan Province: Batang
11 Apr 1870 · 174 km away · intensity X
2,300 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1950M8.6
India-China
15 Aug 1950 · 263 km away · intensity XI
1,530 deaths$20 million damagetsunami
- 1811M6.5
Sichuan Province: E. Of Ganze
27 Sep 1811 · 297 km away · intensity VIII
480 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1738M6.5
Qinghai Province
1738 · 295 km away · intensity VIII
336 deaths
- 1930M5.5
Sichuan Province
24 Aug 1930 · 263 km away
200 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1834M5.5
Qinghai Province
1834 · 255 km away · intensity VII
88 deaths
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.