Reviewed by USGSChina75y ago
M6.4 earthquake 38 km SSW of Lijiang, China
Friday, December 21, 1951, 08:37:33 UTC · 26.579°N, 100.013°E
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 38 km SSW of Lijiang, China on Friday, December 21, 1951, 08:37:33 UTC, at a depth of 27.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on September 21, 1930.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 28 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
62 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 130 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
275 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Indian and Eurasian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
28 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 44 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.264 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaDecember 12, 1908 · 288 km W of this epicenter
- 6.824 km NE of Dali, ChinaMarch 16, 1925 · 98 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7129 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarSeptember 21, 1930 · 165 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.5110 km E of Myitkyina, MyanmarApril 28, 1930 · 195 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.481 km NNE of Sarupathar, IndiaAugust 31, 1906 · 276 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3106 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarAugust 11, 1933 · 190 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3113 km ENE of Myitkyina, MyanmarDecember 2, 1930 · 181 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.350 km NNW of Lijiang, ChinaJune 7, 1933 · 78 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 25 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 28,054 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1850M7.5
Sichuan: Xichang
12 Sep 1850 · 264 km away · intensity X
20,650 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1925M6.9
Yunnan Province: Talifu
16 Mar 1925 · 98 km away
5,800 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1751M6.8
Yunnan Province
25 May 1751 · 14 km away · intensity IX
900 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1803M6.0
Yunnan Province
1 Feb 1803 · 124 km away · intensity VIII
200 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1839M6.0
Yunnan Province
23 Feb 1839 · 54 km away · intensity VIII
129 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1948M6.8
Yunnan Province
27 Jun 1948 · 37 km away · intensity VIII
110 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.